


Voyage of the Iron Maiden

by EdIronsides



Category: One Piece
Genre: Family, Friend-Insert, Future Fic, Gen, Grand Adventure, Grand Line, Humor, Illustrated, My OCs have Parents, Next Generation, OC main cast, Post World Revolution, long journey, the journey home
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-19
Updated: 2017-12-20
Packaged: 2018-12-31 11:05:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 17
Words: 74,039
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12131103
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EdIronsides/pseuds/EdIronsides
Summary: The Second Pirate King Luffy has been missing for over a decade, the Warlords are becoming more unreliable by the day, and war between the Emperors Law and Kid looms ever closer in the New World.To make matters worse, rumors abound that the Loyalist forces of the Old World Government are finally beginning to come out of hiding to make their move, planning to avenge their defeat almost two decades ago after the fall of Mariejois to the Revolutionaries.So where does a young martial artist from our world fit into all this? Let's find out.





	1. The Demon and the Bridge

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Viccy is based entirely off of a close personal friend of mine. I considered doing a self-insert, but I'm about as cut and paste as any guy you'll ever meet. Viccy, on the other hand, is a fun guy. Trust me.
> 
> Still learning to use this site. I actually started this particular story at the beginning of the year on FF.net. Finally got around to making an AO3 account. Gotta say this site has a bit of a learning curve when compared to FF, but it seems a lot more in depth. I'll update this every few days until it gets to the same point as it is on FF, but after that, it's going to follow my personal "schedule."
> 
> I have no schedule. On an unrelated note, That picture is the first art I ever arted. I get better as time goes on, I promise.

 

Viccy's eyes snapped open at the smell of sizzling bacon, which was his one true weakness. If you didn't count cockroaches and angry cowboys at least.  _And_  the early morning sun that was currently searing his retinas. After a hasty curse and a few seconds spent blinking the light from his eyes, he stood up and trudged blearily to the bathroom, making sure to stub his toes on every single fixed object in the room along the way.

As he finished his morning routine, he peeled away the band-aid on his forehead and inspected the wound in the mirror. He grimaced as he remembered the heavy kick that had put it there. His sparring partner hadn't held back, and he cursed himself for insisting that they didn't. It had mostly healed, so he decided not to cover it up again.

Mama Carver's cheerful humming traveled over the sound of crackling bacon as he made his way to the kitchen and sat down at the table.

 _"Buenos dias Vicente,"_ she said as she bustled around the room. "Your dad'll be in North Carolina this weekend, so he left you some things he wants you to take care of."

 _"Oh boy..."_ Viccy thought to himself as he poured himself some orange juice.

"He wants you to get the yard work done and change the spark plugs on the truck."

_"That's not too much of a hassle," he thought._

"Clean out his gun cabinet."

_"Sweet."_

"Go to Mr. Johnson's house and take care of a little favor we owe him."

_"Ugh. That's a pain."_

"And he wants you to take Demonio out for a walk this morning."

_"I see..."_

Viccy suddenly began choking on his orange juice.

"WUUUAAAT!?" He hacked out between coughing fits.

"Calm down," his mother said. "No matter what you say, he's just a dog. Besides, you know how your father is."

He definitely  _did_ know how his father was. Old Man Carver was a massive man with an equally massive heart, rivaled only by his massive gun collection. Nonetheless, he demanded nothing but strict obedience from his only son. While he had never actually laid a hand on Viccy, the man's stoic disappointment always hurt a lot more than any belt or birch could.

"What'll it take to make you tell him that I did it, but like... without me actually doing it," Viccy said.

"Well, I do need a new pair of shoes for the office party..." She paused for a moment and pondered the thought. "But it's still a ways off. I can just ask your father to pick some up on his way home. You're actually going to have to do it this time around,  _Hombrecito_."

" _Ma..._ " Viccy begged, attempting to give her the puppy eyes.

"That hasn't worked since you were 10. Take the mutt out, stroll him around the nature preserve, and come back. Make sure you avoid eye contact and you'll be fine."

And that was the end of the conversation. His mother set a plate of eggs and bacon in front of him, tousling his mop of unruly black hair as she left to start her own day.

As Viccy sat there, munching on pork and pondering the reality of his own mortality, his mind wandered to the Japanese soldiers in the Second World War who were selected as kamikazes. He wondered what was going through their minds as they strapped dynamite to their chests and flung themselves at American tanks. Did they do so willingly, without a doubt in their mind as to the righteousness of their actions? Did they do it because the only other option was dishonor on them, their whole family, and their cow?

He scowled and shook his wandering mind back to the problem at hand.

Demonio. Old Man Carver's wiener dog. Flashes from memories Viccy had done his best to suppress flickered through his mind. Gleaming teeth ripping apart his favorite stuffed zebra. Rippling back muscles straining to drag a savaged deer carcass across the yard. Shiny, jet black eyes staring at him through the porch window during evenings when he was home alone. He shuddered as his brain shut down in self-defense for several seconds, refusing to bring up even worse memories.

 _"This is going to end even worse than the Stone Mountain cowboy incident..."_ he thought.

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

There are things in this life that nobody should have to experience. Things that should never be spoken of, even in passing. When slightly less Old Man Carver had brought a little dog home 12 years ago, young Viccy couldn't have been more excited. What 5-year-old wouldn't be? But as he made eye contact with that puppy, chills raced down his spine.

They were blank. Emotionless. They held absolutely none of the joy and love of life a puppy's eyes should hold. Viccy thought then that whatever was living behind that dog's eyes was nothing short of evil.

And as he looked upon the overgrown wiener dog in the present day, its head almost reaching to his waist, he knew that his fate was now in its wet, drooling maw. This dog would decide his very existence.

He clutched at the golden cross necklace he had hidden under his shirt.

"Hey there, buddy. I'm just going to put this leash on you. Alright?" Viccy whispered as he began his approach.

The dog obviously said nothing. He stood there, staring at Viccy as he awkwardly shuffled forwards; his eyes were trained on the ground and sweat dripped from his forehead. The dog allowed Viccy to snap on the steel clasp, before suddenly giving off his strange bark.

"Aroo!"

Viccy didn't consider himself a coward under any circumstance, but he would have sprinted away and hopped the fence right then and there, had his knees not been trembling. After a few seconds passed, Demonio began walking towards the gate, and Viccy was forcibly dragged behind him.

He could have sworn he heard the dog make an odd chuckling sound as it crossed the threshold.

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

Viccy's eyes took in the sign in front of him. Red's Memorial Nature Preserve. Sprawling and in some parts overgrown, this preserve had been there longer than his town itself had. Signs were posted at the entrance warning people not to venture in too far, else they get lost. Viccy sighed nervously as he stepped off of the concrete paths and onto the dirt trails.

10 minutes passed, and it had been going well. Viccy hadn't made eye contact, and the dog had mostly ignored his presence as he went about his business.

I'm sure you've heard the saying "Little things make big things happen." The harbinger of our Viccy's big journey was but a little pebble. A pebble that had made its way into his shoe.

He struggled along behind Demonio, not daring to stop the dog and take the pebble out. This continued for several minutes, and by the end, Viccy was sure that the sadistic bastard knew about the pain he was in and was prolonging it on purpose.

As the dog finally stopped and squatted in the brush to do his business, Viccy scrambled to extract the little rock before the mutt got moving again. It took a bit of finagling, but he managed.

Viccy looked back up, triumph written all over his face. The cocky grin disappeared immediately as he stared at the remains of what used to be a chrome steel chain leash, one end still clasped tightly in his hand. Where Demonio had been moments earlier, only a small pile of dog excrement and a few broken links remained.

Thoughts began to race through Viccy's mind.

_"How did he break that chain?"_

_"I wonder what I can tell my dad?"_

_"Doesn't this mean I can finally sleep easy at night?"_

His thoughts were broken off as he heard a noise coming from some distance away, and Viccy realized his mistake immediately.

Normally, if a dog escaped custody, they ran. It didn't matter why and it didn't matter where. They just did. But this dog wasn't normal...

The noises were now close enough to make out. As slow and steady as a steam engine, the sounds of "Aroo... Aroo... Aroo...", steadily drew closer. Memories began to flash through Viccy's mind again.

His first viewing of Jackie Chan's "Wheels on Meals" which had instilled in him a love of action cinematography and martial arts.

Him getting his ass handed to him in his very first karate tournament match by some kid that was already being labeled as a prodigy. That one had knocked him down a few pegs. He knew that he used to be a narcissistic little bastard. None of the other kids in his school could beat him, and nothing anybody else did was ever good enough to warrant his approval. He had thought he was on top of the world, and he never passed up a chance to tell anyone. But like everyone else, there came a time when he realized that there's always a madder dog.

He had taken the loss hard, which led to his mother gifting him his cross necklace. It had been passed down in her family for two centuries, and while he wasn't particularly religious, Viccy would treasure that necklace to his dying day. All heroes had some kind of object that they placed sentimental value in, after all. It was pretty much required if you wanted to be a badass. He came out of his funk better than ever. Unfortunately, due to his previous attitude, it wasn't really possible to make friends with the other kids anymore. So from then on, he stood quiet and watched. Adults hardly ever called attention to him, and because he wasn't exactly on the small side thanks to his father, the other kids never bothered him either.

His second karate tournament, where he'd managed to make it to the semi-finals before losing to the same prodigy from the first time, a cocky smirk planted on the kid's face that hadn't been there during their first fight. He had reminded Viccy of himself, before his first loss.

His first and only crush back in kindergarten, whose face and name he had forgotten. Did it start with a K?

As he snapped out of his trance, Viccy noticed that the demonic barks had stopped. Relief flooded his system for a moment before he realized that the chirping of the birds, the chattering of the squirrels, and even the swishing of the leaves in the wind were also missing. Everything was absolutely still.

Viccy could tell that an event that couldn't be explained by Science was fast approaching. So he did what any sane man would have done. He ran. It didn't matter much  _where_ he was going, simply that he was going away from  _there_.

He didn't know how long he ran, but he went farther into that nature preserve than he'd ever gone in his life. Eventually, he came across an old rickety rope bridge overlooking a pathetic little ravine with a pathetic little river running through it. The river was barely more than a stream really.

 _"How cliché can you get?"_ he thought.

He looked over the edge. It was at least a 3 story drop, and he knew from every movie he had ever seen involving rope bridges that attempting to cross them in a crisis was an awful idea. So he turned around to find another way.

And there he was. Staring at Viccy with those expressionless eyes. The eyes of a killer. They promised nothing. They took no joy in suffering, but they took no joy in anything else either. Inside those orbs, Viccy saw the very Gates of Hell, and they were wide open. Viccy clutched his cross necklace in his hand, momentarily wondering if he could attempt to ward Demonio off with it.

He stood and stared, neither one making a move. How long did the stalemate last? It could have been moments for all Viccy knew, but the demon dog eventually began to grow restless.

The dog took a step forward. Viccy took a step back. The dog took another step forward. Viccy took another step back. Viccy continued shuffling backward until he was near the middle of the bridge. His sense of danger began to tingle much too late.

 _"Dear God no..."_  he thought.

A resounding crack pierced the otherwise silent ravine.

_"Son of a bi-"_

His thoughts were cut off as the plank under him gave way, and he tumbled through the air.

The rest of his life flashed before his eyes. The class dartboard getting picked on in middle school as he just sat and watched, unwilling to stick his neck out. Little Viccy clutching his cross necklace as he began the first match of his second karate tournament. His father carrying him home on his shoulders after his second loss to the prodigy kid.

As the ground got closer and closer, one final thought ran its course.

_"It was a decent 17 years I guess. Could have been a lot worse."_

And as everything went black, Viccy heard one final triumphant "Aroo!" from Demonio. Oddly enough, it didn't sound very malignant.

 

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

 

 _**Whoooosh** _ _._

_"Am I dead?"_

_**_Whoooosh_ ** _ _**.** _

_"I'm dead, aren't I?"_

_**_Whoooosh_ ** _ _**.** _

_"Hmm. Looks like Ma was wrong after all. I'm not seeing any pearly gates."_

_**_Whoooosh_ ** _ _**.** _

_"What the hell is that noise!?"_

_**_Whoooosh_ ** _ _._

"Hey, kid. You alright?" said a new voice.

 _**_Whoooosh_ ** _ _**.** _

_"What? Who are you?"_

_**_Whoooosh_ ** _ _**.** _

"Wake up!" said the voice.

 _**_Whoooosh_ ** _ _**.** _

_"Wake up from what, Disembodied Voice?"_

Suddenly the voice was loud enough to rattle his brain cage. "WAKE UP YOU LITTLE SHIT!"

Viccy's eyes snapped open as his mind began to race yet again.

_"Where am I?"_

_"Why is everything upside down?"_

_"What the hell is wrong with my ankle?"_

The whooshing sound was still present, and he realized that it had to be from the blood rushing through his head. Viccy looked down, or was it up? He was hanging by his ankle in a tree. And the ravine and the suspension bridge were nowhere to be found.

 _"Ok then..."_ he thought.

"Ha. I knew you were alive." A nearby voice chimed merrily.

Viccy slowly turned his head left, or was it right? Standing there with their face not six inches away from his, was a muscular man in traveling cloak. He had olive skin, beady eyes currently crinkled in a smirk, and a mess of poofy black hair flowing down the back of his head. His face had been savaged at some point by an animal. One with very big claws if the scars were any indication. Viccy would have pinned him to be in his thirties. These features alone would have made for a unique looking man, but his most noticeable feature by far was his nose. At least three inches long, and crooked, as if it had been broken several times.

"You feel alright, kid?" the man asked.

"wuuuuhh?" Viccy said intelligently.

The man's smirk grew larger, and Viccy's danger senses began tingling again. He watched as the man lifted his foot.

_"Son of a bi-"_

_His_ thoughts were cut off as the man kicked the tree, causing Viccy to tumble out and fall 6 feet onto his face. His mind blanked out from the pain, and he could have sworn that he saw his shoes dip into the top of his vision for a moment.

Viccy scrambled to his feet, yelling out curses to the damned Long Nose and everything he'd ever loved. The man just stood there for the entire tirade holding his sides and laughing uproariously.

Viccy finally had to stop and catch his breath, and as the man's manic laughter faded into chuckles, he took the opportunity to ask. "Where am I anyway? And who are you?"

"You don't even know where you are?" The man asked after the chuckles finally faded. "You're on Zapacata Island in the South Blue. I'm Usopp. I'm pretty famous, so feel free to gape and stare in shock."

Viccy gaped and stared in shock.


	2. The Mentor

"There's no way you're Usopp!" Viccy yelled. "You're too old!"

Never mind the fact that fact that he shouldn't even exist... Viccy's knowledge on the world of One Piece wasn't the best, though he had taken the time to watch a few hundred episodes.

The alleged Usopp roared with even more laughter. "I'm only thirty-five, kid!" he coughed out.

As the man calmed down, Viccy took a moment to gather his thoughts.

He had fallen off a bridge. Then landed in a different universe? That couldn't be right. Maybe he was in some sort of coma. Whether or not that was the case, he had to get home. The world of One Piece was awash with monsters, criminals, and corruption. Not all that different from his own world actually. But where to start?

"Hey kid," the man said, snapping Viccy out of his thoughts. "Mind telling me how you wound up in that tree?"

Viccy paused before deciding to tell the truth. "I have no clue."

The man's eyebrow rose. "Hmm... What's your name?"

"Vicente Carver"

"Visuwutnow?"

"Just call me Viccy. With two Cs."

"Well Viccy, can you tell me what you're doing here?"

"I don't even know where here is."

The man was growing visibly suspicious, and Viccy once again felt a sense of foreboding.

"Well, that's quite the conundrum, ain't it? Can you at least tell me where you came from?"

Viccy paused again. There was no way he could explain to the man that he might be some sort of extra-dimensional traveler. He decided to tell him a half-truth.

"Somewhere very far away, that you can't reach from here."

In hindsight, Viccy would figure that it probably hadn't been the best idea to sound so cryptic. The man's eyes narrowed immediately.

"What exactly does that mean?" he asked.

At this point, Viccy was getting anxious. The reality of the situation is beginning to set in, and his mind was going into power saving mode. "I'm not sure."

Again, this reply was something that he would regret later on.

"Riiiiiiight. I'm going to have to ask you to come with me, kid," the man said, sounding for all the world as if he was carrying out a traffic stop.

Viccy had never taken orders from anybody except his father and his senseis, so no part of this situation sat right with him.

He could have tried to defuse the situation. In fact, it was pretty obvious that the man was trying to give him the chance. But he'd just had several near death experiences, one by the man's own hand, so he was soaring on adrenaline and not feeling especially cooperative.

"I don't think I want to," Viccy said, his eyes narrowing.

And then shit hit the proverbial fan. Viccy wasn't a particularly violent person, and he had never been in a situation where he felt punching someone in the face was the right course of action outside of sparring matches, but as the man reached inside his cloak, every instinct that had been drilled into him for almost 12 years kicked in, and he charged. He got close enough to duck under any normal person's guard and then wound his whole body in preparation to shoryuken the living shit out of his opponent. That was the plan anyway.

Next thing he knew, he was lying on his back with the man's boot at his throat and a wicked looking slingshot trained on his face.

" _Well, shit_ ," Viccy thought. " _What kind of crazy ancient Shaolin art was that?_ "

"Now listen here, kid. You can walk with me back to town, or I can haul your unconscious body there over my shoulder. Your choice."

" _Was Usopp always this badass?_ " Viccy thought. As far as he was aware, Usopp had been a sort of black sheep.

"I'll walk thanks," Viccy gasped out. The man took his foot off Viccy's neck and offered his hand.

" _What the hell_ is with _this guy?_ " Viccy thought to himself. He took the man's hand and got back on his feet, dusting himself off. "It's not like I have anywhere else to go."

Usopp gazed at him quietly. After a few moments, he put his slingshot over his shoulder, turned around, and began walking.

"Come on, then," Usopp said.

Viccy followed without a second thought.

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

As they walked to wherever it was they were going, Viccy tried to start up a conversation. After all, it's not every day that you got to meet a fictional hero in the flesh...

"What were you doing out here anyway?" he asked.

"I was just running some errands in Zapa Town. Never expected to find some cheeky brat dangling in a tree..." Usopp said chuckling. "Gave me flashbacks of my time on Greenstone."

"Greenstone?"

"It's a man eating island on the Grand Line. I got thrown there by a giant cyborg that shot lasers from his mouth."

"Err... Right," Viccy said. There was an awkward lull in the conversation as he struggled to find something else to say. He eventually decided to ask about the other Strawhats. "So, where's the rest of the crew?"

"The Strawhats? We all separated years ago."

"Why?"

Usopp looked back at him with a cocked eyebrow. "Have you been living under a rock these past 2 decades?"

"I'm not really from around here..."

"Ya don't say..." Usopp said, turning his attention back to the road. "Well, We all kinda drifted apart after Luffy disappeared. All of us had different things in mind for what we wanted to do, so we went our separate ways. We still keep in touch of course, but they probably wouldn't appreciate it if I just told you where they were. Unlike yours truly, they're pretty anti-social."

That first bit was a bit troubling to Viccy. "Luffy disappeared? Where?"

Usopp laughed. "If people knew where, then it wouldn't be called 'disappearing' now, would it?"

"Did the Government have something to do with it?"

"The World Government? Nah. They're history. Revolutionaries stormed Mariejois and overthrew the Five Elders almost 2 decades ago and formed The People's United Republic of the World."

Viccy's head was working overtime. This was a whole lot to take in. Not only had he been dropped into the world of One Piece like in one of those less than stellar self-insert fan fictions, he had been thrown into it decades after the main story ends?

"Ok, so what about the Marines?" he asked.

"They're still around. But they're different now from when I was a Strawhat. Guy named Coby became Fleet Admiral after the Revolution ended. Did a complete overhaul of the system. It feels weird to say, but they're pretty respectable now."

Viccy couldn't help but crack a smile. Maybe being stuck here until he woke up or found a way back home wouldn't be so bad.

"So the government is actually a government and the police force doesn't have messed up priorities anymore? I'm guessing there aren't many pirates left then."

"Are you kidding me? As long as there's loot to steal and a legendary treasure to be found, the Age of Pirates will never end!" Usopp roared, his mess of hair flapping around wildly as he threw his head back to laugh.

Viccy finally voiced the thought that had been haunting his mind since they had begun their trek. "You found the One Piece right? What is it?"

"Ha! Wouldn't you like to know, kid? Sorry, but I'm not just going to give that away for free. But I can tell you that it's even more amazing than all the legends say."

"Can't you even give me a hint?" Viccy asked.

"If you really want to know so badly, then get out there and look for it like everyone else," Usopp said, without a hint of a smile.

" _I wouldn't last a day out there. I can more or less hold my own back home, but I'm just cannon fodder here_ ," Viccy thought.

"Alright, kid. I can see Cata Town from here. Don't try to run off. No matter how far you go, I'll find you."

"Well, that's not ominous at all... Where are you taking me?" Viccy asked.

"To see a friend of mine. An interrogation expert."

" _Interrogation expert? Hold up now, I've seen enough crime dramas to know how this ends_ ," Viccy thought as he began swiveling his head, looking for an opening.

"Relax, kid. We're just going to answer a few questions," Usopp said.

At this point, Viccy's palms are getting sweaty and he was visibly starting to panic. His hand traveled unconsciously to his necklace.

"Oh for the love of... We're not going to hurt you. Pirates honor," Usopp said, turning around to look him in the eye.

"Really?" he asked.

"Yes. Really." Usopp said, turning back.

"Do Pirates even have honor?"

"This one does."

They spent the rest of the walk to the town in silence.

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

As they enter the outskirts of Cata Town, Viccy noticed a few things. Electric streetlamps lined the cobblestone roads, and he could even see what looked like a rudimentary car here and there. Neon signs advertised shops, and the people wore clothes that weren't all the different from his own.

" _Looks like things have changed in the past 15 years_ ," he thought.

One sign, in particular, stood out. A gaudy thing, advertising a tavern, saying "The Broken Bottle. Where the booze flows like water and the blood flows just like the booze!"

A smaller sign under it said: "By entering this building, you agree to be held accountable for any and all injuries you sustain on these premises. You also agree to pay for any of my stuff you break. And don't think I won't come find your asses, you lousy bums."

An even smaller sign under it said: "You're not allowed back in until you pay your damn tab, Usopp."

Viccy looked over at Usopp, who was doing his best not to make eye contact.

"Well here we are," Usopp said.

"But it says you're not allo-" Viccy began.

"WELL HERE WE ARE!" He repeated. He stuffed his massive slingshot into his cloak and proceeded to speed walk into the building.

Viccy had no choice but to follow him inside.

The first thing he noticed was how lively everything was. From the fact that nobody seemed to have mugs and were drinking straight out of casks, to the bloodstains on the floor, some of which still looked fresh. The place oozed both personality and bodily fluids. It was the kind of place that Viccy would never go inside of on his own, but for some reason, he found himself liking the little bar more and more the longer he looked at it.

He followed Usopp to a seat behind the counter, where he promptly began waving his hand for service. The tavern keep, a curvaceous woman in her 30s, with pale skin and long curly black hair, simply glared at him. As she looked in their direction Viccy noticed that her eyes were an unsettling shade of red, with a single large scar running horizontally through the both of them. He was suddenly thankful that it wasn't him she glaring daggers at.

She stomped over and grabbed Usopp by the hem of his cloak, and Viccy had to hand it to the man, he didn't even flinch.

"Are you here to pay your tab by any chance?" The woman growled out.

"Next time, Selda. I promise," Usopp said, keeping a completely straight face.

"That's what you said  _last_ time."

"Right... Anyways, I need to see  _ **Them.**_ "

Selda narrowed her eyes. "What for?" she asked.

"I need  _ **Them**_  to check this kid out," he said, flicking his head in Viccy's direction.

Selda seemed to notice Viccy for the first time and began sizing him up. Getting scanned by a pair of glow in the dark, blood red eyes was unsurprisingly unnerving, and the boy tried to make himself as small as possible in his seat.

"What's his deal?" She asked, taking her eyes off of Viccy, much to his relief.

"Apparently he has no clue," Usopp said, shrugging his shoulders.

Selda's eyebrows rose a bit, and she seemed to mull Usopp's request over a bit, before finally releasing his cloak.

"Well,  _ **They're**_  probably in the kitchen right now. Go on back."

"Thanks Selda."

"If you really want to thank me then pay your damned tab!"

"I'll see you later."

Usopp got up and gestured for Viccy to follow him through a side door. Poor Viccy could feel the woman's eyes on the back of his head the whole way.

"What the hell is up with her?" Viccy asked as they walked through the hall.

"Heh. A memento from her crazy days I hear." Usopp said, instantly knowing what he was referring to. "She lost her eyes sailing the New World. Little Ollie made her some sort of cybernetic implants a few years after she got back. She might look scary, but she's a softie."

"New World?" Viccy inquired.

"Second half of the Grand Line," he said. He stopped at a door with a sign on it reading " _Stay out_ _ ** _ **You**_**_ _ **."**_

He reached his arm out and twisted the handle before stepping inside. "Let's get you checked out."

Despite Usopp's promise, Viccy was still a bit nervous as he stepped through the door.

"Come out!" Usopp called. "We need  _ **Your**_  help."

The only response was silence. They stood there for a good while before Viccy finally decided to suggest that whoever Usopp was looking for might not actually be there. But as he opened his mouth to speak, his danger senses began to tingle.

A rattling sound was the only warning he had.

" _Son of a bi-_ "

Viccy didn't even get to finish his thought as he was pushed flat onto his face. Stars popped into his vision as his skull struck the floorboards.

As he lifted himself off the ground, more than a little dazed, he heard laughter. Lots of laughter, as if the room was filled with people. He looked around, but there was only him and Usopp there.

" _I want to go home..._ " Viccy thought

"Alright, that's enough  _ **You**._  We need a favor," Usopp said, seemingly unphased by whatever black magic was going on in there.

An otherworldly voice filled the room. As if hundreds of people, men and women, old and young, were speaking at the same time.

**_**A service the long-nosed one requires. But what does the long-nosed one have as payment?** _ **

"The key to the pantry," Usopp said simply.

"Where'd you even get that? And what does a ghost thing need with food?" Viccy asked, shimmying up to the man.

"I swiped it off of Selda when she was threatening me," Usopp said, completely ignoring the second question.

"Of course you did..."

 _ **They**_ began to speak again.

**_**We suppose we could do business with the long-nosed one. What would the long-nosed one ask of us?** _ **

"I need  _ **You**_  to check out this kid's memories. Find out how he got here and why. According to him, he doesn't know. I'm inclined to believe him too, but people don't just fall out of the sky," Usopp said.

**_**If that is all the long-nosed one requires, it can be done.** _ **

"Check out my memories?" Viccy asked, getting nervous again.

"Relax. It doesn't hurt," Usopp said.

"That's kind of beside the po-" his words were cut off, and he found himself with the strangest sensation he had ever experienced. It was a bit uncomfortable, but not entirely unpleasant. As if someone was caressing his brain.

**_**Strange. We can't pick anything up from the young one.** _ **

"What do you mean?," Viccy and Usopp asked at the same time.

**_**What we said. There's nothing in the young one's mind. It's empty... No... There's something. Some sort of animal. It comes closer. It's speaking.** _ **

**_**"Aroo?"** _ **

The whole building shook violently, and  _ **Their**_  hundreds of voices all cried out in surprise at the same time.

Viccy fell flat on his behind, thoughts yet again racing through his head. " _Arooo? That could only be Demonio. Did he send me here? That's impossible. He's just a dog."_

"What the hell was that!?" yelled Usopp, who had somehow managed to remain standing.

 _ ** _ **They**_**_ took a moment to answer.  _ **Their**_  voices seemed in awe.

**_**It pushed us out.** _ **

"What? Is that even possible?" Usopp asks.

**_**Whatever is in the young one's mind seems to be guarding something. We don't know what it is, and we can be sure that the young one doesn't either...** _ **

"Well that's perfect..." Usopp said, scratching his head.

**_**We fulfilled our end of the bargain. The long-nosed one will now cough up the pantry key.** _ **

"Yeah, yeah," Usopp said, reaching into his pocket and holding a small key in the air.

The door suddenly exploded into splinters, and everyone looked up to see a panicked Selda standing in the doorway.

"Is everyone alright? What's going on in here?" she gasped out.

Thinking about it rationally, there was no way she could have missed the mini earthquake that they had caused. Her blood red eyes had faded into a mellow peach, and she looked around, concern written all over her face.

And then, her strange eyes trained themselves on the key in Usopp's hand...

The air in the room literally grew thicker. Selda's eyes brightened to their normal scarlet and then shot past that into a searing white, as if her eyes were pieces of iron getting heated up in a forge.

Viccy looked over at Usopp. Until now he had seemed completely unshakable, but the man was visibly beginning to sweat. Viccy could tell that Selda witnessing this scene hadn't been a part of any plan that Usopp had run through his mind.

It would probably have ended badly for the long-nosed man if the key hadn't suddenly ripped itself out of his hand and flown through the door right over Selda's head.

 _ ** _ **IT'S OUUUUUUURS**_**_ , Hundreds of voices yelled at the same time from the hallway.

Selda shrieked like a banshee and charged after it through the door.

Usopp wasn't about to waste this opportunity. He grabbed Viccy around the stomach, slung him under his armpit, and sprinted out of the building as if it were on fire. Judging by the smoke, parts of it were.

As they raced down the street, they heard strange metallic vibrations coming from the little tavern. Nobody in the streets seemed the least bit worried about it. A few were actually chuckling. Viccy caught a few of their comments.

"There she goes again."

"Does she ever learn? That's the second time this week."

"Ah you can't blame her. Having to share space with  _ **Them**_  must be rough."

When the bar was finally out of sight, Usopp stopped and put the boy down. "Man, she's scary..."

"What the hell is going on back there?" Viccy asked. The strange vibrations, a few minor explosions, and the now distinct sound of Selda's angry screaming could still be heard in the distance.

"That's the sound of a former Emperor trying to get their livelihood back from an ancient land spirit," He replied with a smirk. He began moving again, and Viccy followed, not knowing what else to do.

"Emperor?" Viccy asked.

"One of the four apex Pirates of the New World. You just met another living legend in the flesh. That makes two today. You're on a roll kid," Usopp said with a chuckle.

Viccy had no idea what Usopp was talking about, but something a bit more pressing was weighing on his mind.

"What was that ghost thing?"

" _ **Them?**_   _ **They're**_  harmless.  _ **They**_  were already there when the first settlers came to this island from what I've read. People avoided the little plot of land that  _ **They**_  called  _ **Their**_  own. Until Selda came back home. It was the cheapest land available, so she bought it and built that tavern of hers right on top of it. Spent ages trying to chase  _ **Them**_  away. In the end, both of them just sort of agreed to put up with each other."

"What a weird Island," Viccy commented.

"Ha. You're right about that, kid. Zapacata Island is one of a kind," Usopp said.

They walked in silence for several minutes, until the suspense began to get unbearable. Viccy finally decided to ask. "Where are we going now?"

"Hmm?" Usopp said, looking back at him. "To my house of course. You said that you don't have anywhere to go, right? I'm not one to rescue a kid from a tree and then just boot them out into the street"

"You say that like I'm some kind of stray puppy you picked up..." Viccy said. It looked as if his life was going to be a whole lot more exciting for a while...

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

"You call this a house!?" Viccy yelled.

They were standing in front of what could only be described as a small palace, four stories tall and at least a third of a kilometer wide. The ornate wrought iron gates led to several impeccably kept gardens in front of the mansion and the grounds behind it spread out as far as the eye could see.

"It is a bit small, isn't it," Usopp said with a cocky grin. "But it's home."

He moved forward through the gates, with Viccy tagging along behind. The path leading up to the massive double doors wound through several of the gardens, and Viccy probably would have stopped to appreciate them a bit had the circumstances been different.

Usopp reached the entrance to the mansion and swung open the massive wooden doors, gesturing for Viccy to go inside.

Viccy didn't exactly have a great aesthetic taste. He was the kind of guy that would wear socks and sandals with sweatpants to school if he was feeling lazy. But even he had to admit that the mansion was artfully decorated. While the interior wasn't anywhere near as attention grabbing as the statues and gardens that were outside, the marble floors, arranged flowers inside of carefully placed ceramic vases, and dark satin curtains lent an air of sheer comfort to the place.

"Did you set all this up?" Viccy asked Usopp.

"Nah. It was the wife. I couldn't tell the difference between satin and velvet if my life depended on it," Usopp said as he closed the door behind him. "Speaking of which..."

Usopp grinned and cupped his hands around his mouth.

"KAAAAAAAYAAAAAAA! ISOOOOOOOOOOOOOPP!" he bellowed. "I'M HOOOOOOOOME!."

A door opened nearby, and from it stepped a familiar looking Satyr man. "Must you always make such a ruckus Master Long Nose?"

"Oh. Hey, Merry. I think one of the topiwhatsit sculptures in the garden is getting a few millimeters too bushy. You should get on that."

"Very funny Master Long Nose. That won't work on me twice. I trimmed all of the topiary bushes this morning." Merry said, smirking haughtily.

Usopp grinned as if he was used to playing this game. "And a few of the stones on the paths outside are crooked."

"Really? I hadn't noticed anything," Merry said, his brow creasing in worry.

"Yeah really. You could fit a whole ant in the cracks between some of them."

"Oh dear." Merry bowed his head and walked towards the door, before suddenly stopping and jumping back to face Usopp.

"Hold on now! Who's this?" he said, gesturing wildly in Viccy's direction.

Usopp opened his mouth to answer, but before he could, the sound of pattering feet came within earshot. Within moments, a yellow flash whizzed past Viccy's line of sight and attached itself to Usopp's head.

"Papa's home!" the little bundle shouted as Usopp staggered around trying to pry the thing off his face.

"Yef Ifopp I'm home. Now geddoff me!" Usopp shouted, his voice muffled behind the creature stuck to his face.

The bundle giggled and hopped off, revealing itself to be a small boy no older than 7. He looked like a little blonde clone of Usopp, but without the scars and an as of yet unbroken nose.

"You totally shoulda seen me comin' Papa. You're gettin' sloppy"

"Laugh it up while ya can you little brat," Usopp said. "We'll see if you're still chuckling after I kick your ass during drills tonight."

Out of nowhere, a new voice piped up. Charming and smooth as butter.

"Kick who's what during when, Dear?"

Everyone turned to look at the new arrival, and Viccy couldn't help but let out a little gasp.

Before him stood the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. Complete with big chocolate eyes, glistening blonde hair, delicate features, and the proper curves in every single place that counted.

"Ha. Did mama sneak up on you too? You really are gettin' sloppy Old Man." Little Isopp said gleefully.

"Shut up brat. I'm too accustomed to her aura is all," Usopp said, pouting.

"You're Kaya..." Viccy whispered.

The woman looked in his direction and smiled, which was nearly enough to make Viccy's knees give out.

"That's me," she said. "And who might you be, young man?"

Everyone waited for Viccy to answer, but it was taking all of his willpower to keep from gaping like a goldfish.

Usopp finally took pity on him and explained in his stead.

"He's Viccy. I found him in a tree."

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

Viccy lay in the bed provided to him by the mistress of the house, pondering the day's events. It was an interesting household, to say the least.

After a boisterous lunch involving several overturned bowls of vegetable stew, an angry lobster that was rudely refusing to be eaten, and many, many swear words, Miss Kaya had retired to her study and Merry went to see about those crooked path stones. That left Usopp and Isopp to their training, if you could call it that...

They were just brawling as far as Viccy was concerned. Still, he wouldn't have believed it was possible for anyone move as fast as these two did. At the best of times they were indistinguishable blurs. The blurs would collide suddenly, and then part just as suddenly. It was almost hypnotic.

Every time Viccy caught a glimpse of little Isopp, he looked a bit more worse for wear. It ended suddenly, after a significantly more spectacular clash than the others. Isopp was on the ground, heaving with exhaustion, while Usopp stood gloatingly over him.

"Ha. You're a decade too young to be trying a stunt like that on your old man, brat," Usopp said.

"I'll get ya one of these days, Papa," Isopp heaved out.

"One of these days," Usopp said, nodding his head. "But not today."

And with that, he slung the child over his shoulder and began walking inside.

"Come on Viccy. It's almost dinner."

Viccy followed him inside without a word.

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

After dinner, which was if anything even more hectic than lunch, Miss Kaya had led Viccy to a guest room. He had discovered that he could more or less act normally around her as long as he only looked at his feet. If she thought something was strange about this, she didn't say anything.

"There's a little button on the stand beside the bed," she said. "Press it if you need anything and one of us will come down in a jiffy."

"I'll be fine, Miss Kaya. Thank's for everything," Viccy mumbled out.

"Don't mention it, young man," she said, giving Viccy a smile and a little pat on the head as she left.

It took only moments after her departure before the door opened again. In it stood Usopp.

"Take a seat kid," he said.

Viccy sat on his bed as Usopp leaned against the door.

"I'll cut to the chase. What exactly are you planning to do now?" he asked.

"I'm not sure," Viccy said. "This whole mess was pretty sudden for me too."

"Alright kid. I'm not stupid. I know you're hiding something. What exactly that something is, I don't know. Maybe you know more about where you came from than you're letting on? It wasn't purely out of the goodness of my heart that I invited you to stay here. I'm keeping an eye on you. I haven't sensed any malintent, so I'll give you the benefit of the doubt for now. Get some sleep. We'll talk more tomorrow."

And with that, he opened the door and left.

Viccy tried to follow Usopp's advice and get some sleep, but it was proving difficult for him. His mind was moving at 5 centimeters per second, and it was hours before it slowed down enough for him to fall into a fitful slumber.

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

He dreamed. It was innocent enough at first. Just replaying a few memories. His Ma singing to him in Spanish to get him to fall asleep after he had watched " _Alien_ " when he was 8. His old man attempting to teach him how to change the oil in his car, only to break the power steering line and douse himself in steering fluid. His childhood sweetheart back in grade school, whose name he now remembered was Katherine.

" _Are you really that good?"_  She asked.

" _I'm the best there is,"_  Viccy said. " _Ask anyone and they'll tell you"_

" _You're not as good as you think you are Viccy. You weren't then and you aren't now."_

Viccy didn't remember that part...

He turned to look at the girl. He still couldn't remember her face, and in his dream, she had looked like everybody he knew and a complete stranger at the same time. But one thing stood out about her now. Her eyes were black as night and completely expressionless.

" _You," Viccy said._

_"An astute observation. I would expect nothing less from you."_

_Demonio's voice was deep, powerful, but most of all, it was impossible to read. No human emotion was conveyed._

_"Cut the snark, mutt. Why did you send me here?"_

_"That's a good question, Pup. Unfortunately, it's not the time for you to have the answer quite yet."_

_"Stop being so cryptic. What do you want from me?"_

_"Find it."_

_"It?"_

_"I think we both know what I mean."_

Something in Vicky's head clicked. There could only be one thing Demonio was referring to.

 _"You can't possibly mean-"_  Viccy began before he was cut off.

_"That's exactly what I mean."_

_"I wouldn't last an hour out there!"_

_"That's your own problem, Pup. Find the One Piece, find the King, and just maybe you'll find a way home. Your parents are missing you, I'm sure,"_  he said, beginning to fade away into the void.

" _WAIT!"_

Demonio gave no response, except a low chuckle.

_"Aroo. Aroo. Aroo."_

_"COME BACK!"_  Viccy yelled.

Several moments passed. The young man began to sink into despair, and he laid his forehead on the ground.

 _"Oh! I almost forgot!"_  Demonio suddenly appeared again, nearly making Viccy have a midnight accident in his sheets.

 _"There's a treasure chest somewhere on this island. Ask the long-nosed man about it. It'll get you started."_  Demonio said.

_"Treasure chest?"_

Demonio suddenly teleported directly in front of his face, in his original wiener dog form.

"AROOOOO!" He barked in Viccy's face, forcibly pushing him out of the dream.

Viccy jerked up in a cold sweat, his necklace clutched in one hand.

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

"You want to find the One Piece?" Usopp asked skeptically.

Viccy nodded his head in assent.

"And you were told to do so by a talking dog in a dream..."

Viccy nodded again.

Usopp sighed, once again unable to understand what was going on with this kid.

"Do you realize what you'll be getting yourself into?"

"Yeah."

"I don't think you do," Usopp said testily. "The Grand Line isn't some kind of playground. There's-"

Viccy cut him off. "Giant sea monsters, unpredictable weather, unstable governments, freakishly strong nutcases? Yeah. I know. I still have to find it though."

"And how do you expect to get through that? I guarantee you couldn't even land a hit on little Isopp."

Viccy paused. The man definitely had a point.

"The mutt said something about a treasure chest to get me started?"

Usopp paused to think. "It was probably talking about the guarded chest on the southern part of the island. Rumor has it that some pirates left something valuable there a few centuries ago while running from the Marines, and left a pack of trained bloodlions there to guard it until they could come back for it. I guess they couldn't outrun the Marines, and those bloodlions bred and became feral. The whole southern half of the island is infested with them. Nobody goes down there."

"Why haven't you gone to get it?" Viccy asked.

"Why would I need it? I don't want to sound like an asshat, but I'm rich, I'm famous, and I'm happy with the life I have. What could I possibly want some second-rate pirate's treasure for?"

"Well, I need it," Viccy said.

"And you plan to get past the lions, how?"

Viccy began fidgeting at this point. He had asked himself that same question several times before he had gone to seek out Usopp, and he could think of only one answer that made sense.

"I was kind of hoping that... You know..." He muttered.

"You want me to train you..." Usopp said simply.

"Well. Yeah. Basically..."

Usopp took a good long look at the young man before him. He was reasonably well built, and from the little tussle they had during their first meeting, Usopp could tell that he had excellent instincts and his form was near flawless. Whoever had taught him the strange martial art that he used deserved a pat on the back. His problem was that he was simply as physically weak and slow as a baby koala.

"Eh. Why not. It's not like you have anything else to do all day besides sit around and watch me and Isopp either way."

Viccy grinned.

This was the start of something great. He could feel it.


	3. The Genius and the Bimbo

Viccy sat at the front bar of The Broken Bottle, attempting to drown his frustrations in a mug of Cola. For obvious reasons, it wasn't working out all that well, but Selda had absolutely refused to give him anything stronger until he turned 18, and it was virtually impossible to lie to the woman.

It had been almost a month since he had been flung headfirst into this world. He had long since given up the hope that he was in some sort of coma. Everything was simply too real. Namely, the pain that was inflicted on him on a daily basis.

His training with Usopp and Isopp had been going reasonably well. So well in fact, that he could now actually see little Isopp moving around as he gave Viccy a new understanding of the phrase " _that hurt_ ," instead of just a blond blur on the fringes of his vision. The child had more than readily agreed to help with his training, and seemed to take delight at being on the other end of the ass whooping stick for once.

Usopp himself had yet to actually spar with him. He seemed more than content to sit back and enjoy the show. He would occasionally laugh whenever Viccy was put into a particularly ridiculous position. Viccy couldn't really blame him. He'd laugh too if he saw a seven-year-old perform a pile driver on someone more than twice their size.

Viccy had eventually gotten used to Miss Kaya, and could now hold a more or less normal conversation with her. Having spent the last month constantly in her presence and sharing meals with her, he had come to one conclusion. She was about as perfect as one could expect a mortal human being to be. He knew that his standards for female companionship would, from now on, be raised unreasonably high.

A few days into their training Usopp had taken Viccy back to The Broken Bottle, and while Usopp had immediately been chased out, Selda had offered the trembling Viccy a cup of tea. It turned out that she had forced  _ **Them**_ to recount the events leading up to the massive repair bill on her pub, which she had added onto Usopp's tab.

The long-nosed man had been right about one thing. Selda was terrifying when angered. But once Viccy got past the absolutely horrifying effects her molecular manipulation powers had on the human body and her unnerving gaze, he came to realize that Selda was simply an overpowered softie. She served as a kind of town mom. Everyone loved and looked up to her, and she loved them right back. Over the last few weeks, she seemed to have developed a soft spot for Viccy, and he would often come by to visit, downing massive amounts of free Cola every time and attempting to ignore the frequent tavern brawls.

Things were looking up for Viccy. So what was this strange anxiety that he was always feeling? It had started to crop up around a week after his arrival, and he simply couldn't shake it. No matter how happy he was or how much fun he was having at any given moment, it would always return.

And so, he chugged Cola. It didn't really accomplish anything, and his kidneys certainly weren't thanking him for it, but he liked to think that the sugar rush helped a bit.

As he guzzled his fourth mug, Viccy felt Selda coming near. She might have been able to sense his melancholy, as had recently taken to asking him what the problem was. Since he didn't know the answer himself, he would always tell her that it was nothing.

She didn't say anything this time as she took a seat across the bar from him, but he could feel her gaze on him. While he had long grown used to it, removing the intimidation factor from her harrowing eyes was virtually impossible, no matter how tender her expression was.

She propped her elbows on the counter and rested her chin on her hands, and they sat in silence for some time.

"You know what, brat?" she finally said, breaking the silence. "I know you have no clue how you got to this island, but I've never asked you if you remember where you came from."

Viccy mulled it over. He had refrained from telling people about home all this time, if for no other reason than nobody else had bothered to ask. Well, besides Usopp, and that had ended rather poorly for him. Now that he thought about it, Usopp might have had something to do with why nobody had pried into it yet.

"Yeah, I remember. I didn't hit my head  _that_  hard," Viccy said.

Selda's eyes lit up, literally, and she smiled as if something that had been nagging at her clicked into placed in her mind. "Could you tell me about it?"

Viccy shrugged. "It's not all that different from here," he said, before shaking his head and backpedaling. "Well, not exactly. People can't make each other's atoms tear themselves apart by touching them, but I guess our way of life isn't too different. Our ships are huge. Way bigger than anything I've sail by here. And we have machines that ferry people around through the air."

"Sounds amazing."

"It's really not as great as it seems," Viccy said, finishing his mug and reaching for a refill.

"What about family?" Selda said.

"Just my parents."

"Did they treat you right?"

Viccy cocked an eyebrow at the question. "Wouldn't trade my time with them for the world. My old man has this massive gun cabinet in his home office, and you wouldn't believe some of the crazy stuff he has in there. Did you know that they used to make guns with 18 barrels on them? And my Ma...

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

The two had sat there talking about the place Viccy called home for over an hour, with Selda occasionally interrupting to comment or ask questions. The young man was currently recounting the tale of his encounter with the Stone Mountain Cowboys.

"-and it turns out that flat soled gator boots are terrible for crossing frozen lakes.  _They_  didn't know that though."

Selda giggled, and then took another look at the young man. "So how do you feel?"

"What do you mean?" Viccy said.

"You look better than you did an hour ago. Frowning really doesn't suit you, you know."

Viccy took some time to ponder her words. As the realization hit, he almost slammed his forehead against the bar. Of course it would take him this long to figure out something so ridiculously simple.

He was just homesick...

"You know, I've been in situations where I didn't think I'd ever see home again," Selda said. "More times than I can count actually. I've been thrown in prison, left for dead, nearly drowned. I even got eaten by a sea king once. Want to know what kept me going?"

"You'll tell me either way, right?" Viccy snarked, earning a playful smack on the back of the head that slammed his forehead against the bar.

"I imagined the looks on my crew's faces when I made it back to them. Some would cry, some would laugh. But they always threw a big party. What about you Viccy? What would your parents do?"

Viccy smiled as he rubbed the bump on his head. Everything about his situation was getting clearer, even as his vision got fuzzier. "I bet Ma would cry like a baby. And my old man would probably cry even harder than her..."

Viccy came to the conclusion that he didn't have to worry about demon dogs or getting mauled by lions. No matter what he did, he would either die in this world or he would make it back home. The only thing required of him was to do his damnedest to make it to curtain B. In the meantime, he might as well enjoy his time here.

All of a sudden, several tavern brawls erupted behind the two. As he watched, Viccy began to laugh. Selda smiled as she looked at him before his mirth infected her, and she began to laugh as well.

Until the sound of a shattering window drew her attention...

Viccy looked down at his mother's heirloom hanging from his neck and grinned. Not even the sound of Selda choking someone into unconsciousness nearby could disturb his newfound peace.

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

Usopp couldn't help but feel a bit proud as he looked upon his 2 trainees waling on each other. Viccy had come back from a visit to Selda's bar 3 months ago in excellent spirits, and had since thrown himself into his training with a renewed vigor.

He would have thanked the woman for whatever it was she did, but from their last meeting, he knew that he would still have to wait a couple more months for her to cool off. He liked his flesh firmly attached to his bones after all.

The kid had made considerable progress in the past few months. It wasn't entirely thanks to him either. He already had his own strange fighting style worked out. Problem was, while he had been faster and stronger than the average person on the day that Usopp found him dangling in a tree, the enemies he would find out at sea would be anything but average.

Still, his progress up until now was definitely worthy of note. He had become little Isopp's equal in only 4 months. Looking at them grin at each other as they wiped the blood off their mouths was nothing short of heartwarming. But it was getting late, and he was getting hungry.

"All right you two. Let's call it a day," he yelled out.

His proteges bumped fists and ran off.

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

Viccy stared at the boy in his seat.

The first thing he noticed about him was his hair. It was in one of the most magnificent afros he had ever seen. The rest of the boy was unassuming. Dark skin and clothes that stood out even less than the sweatshirt and jeans that Viccy had arrived with in this world. He couldn't have been older than fourteen or fifteen.

The next thing he noticed was that he was sitting on his stool. It didn't really matter to him where he sat, but he had been coming to The Broken Bottle a couple of times a week, and that stool was always open. This kid had obviously been here before, since he was showing complete disinterest in the bloodier than usual brawl taking place not 3 feet away from him. Viccy nudged the drunk fighters out of his way and took a seat beside the boy.

 _"Hmm. It's not the same,"_  He thought. " _One of the legs is shorter than the other three, and the cushion is too worn."_

He looked over at the boy sitting beside him and attempted to start a conversation.

"You come here often?" He asked the boy.

 _"_ _ _Jesus Christ. I sound like I'm trying to pick him up__ _,"_ He thought to himself.

Viccy braced himself for an awkward stare that never came. The boy was completely ignoring him. Viccy was used to being ignored, but there was a difference between being ignored when you wanted to be, and being ignored when you didn't.

"Well this ain't awkward at all..." he said. "Name's Viccy, with two Cs. Who're you?"

He waited again for an answer that never came. Viccy felt his blood pressure rising, and he probably would have wound up making a scene had Selda not chosen that exact moment to show up.

"Hey, Viccy. I see you've met Ollie," She said with a slightly nervous smile.

"I don't think 'met' is the right word for it," Viccy said, his face contorted.  _Ollie_. He knew he'd heard that name somewhere before. A light bulb seemed to go off above Viccy's head and his grimace twisted into a grin so quickly that it was almost alarming. "Usopp mentioned you before. Aren't you the one that made Selda her eyes?" he said, clapping the boy on the back. "Man. Why'd you have to make them so freaky looking?"

Viccy's face was introduced to the bar counter as Ollie finally glanced in his direction.

"They weren't supposed to be like that," he said, his voice as normal and unassuming as the rest of him. "Her personality just infected them or something. Not like I can take them out and check."

Ollie's face met the bar counter as well, and soon both young men were nursing large lumps on their foreheads.

"Don't hold it against him, Viccy," the source of their pain said. "He just doesn't trust strangers."

"Well, we're not strangers anymore," Viccy said, holding out his hand to the poofy haired youth.

Ollie looked at his hand for a few moments before taking it.

"So are you some kind of inventor?" Viccy asked.

"The best kind," Ollie said.

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

Viccy was thinking about his new friend on his way out of the bar that night.

Try as he might, he couldn't quite figure Ollie out. While he often made poor attempts at jokes and was almost painfully blunt, he hardly ever made any facial expressions besides "neutral" and "uninterested." While he was obviously a genius, most of the inventions that he came up with were completely useless. Viccy had lost it when Ollie had taken an automated nose hair trimmer out of his pocket and asked Selda if she wanted to try it, much to her chagrin.

According to what Selda had told him after Ollie left, he had always been an orphan and had been raised by virtually the whole town. He was definitely a strange guy, but regardless, the two had already developed a bond during their short time together.

Viccy was so lost in thought, that he almost didn't notice as the door was swung open in his face. As it was, he had just enough time for his eyes to widen and his mouth to open in surprise before the corner of the door slammed into his already wounded forehead. He didn't remember much of what happened over the next several seconds, but it had probably involved lots of swearing and squirming on the ground.

As the waves of pain finally subsided and his vision cleared enough for him to make out his surroundings, he struggled to his feet. He looked straight into the eyes of his assailant, expecting an apology of some sort.

As he glared, Viccy took in his appearance. He was probably around the same age as him, with blue eyes, a mess of golden hair, and lightly tanned skin. He was what people back home would call a "pretty boy." He was gaudily dressed in snakeskin boots and a fully stocked bandolier, and heavily armed, with 2 matching gold and silver revolvers around his waist and an ornate lever action rifle strapped to his back.

 _"_ _ _A cowboy,__ _" Viccy_  thought. " _ _My natural enemy.__ _"_

Seconds passed as the two stared at each other. Finally, the blond cowboy spoke up.

"Are you planning on stepping out of the way anytime soon? I'm trying to get inside."

This, of course, was not the response that Viccy had been expecting. He couldn't stand cowboys as a principle, and here was one now, mouthing off to him after they had caused him no small amount of pain.

Viccy scowled and stood his ground. "Are you planning on getting out of the exit? I'm trying to head out."

Both young men stared at each other, too hardheaded to simply move and avoid the incoming confrontation. The inside of the bar became deathly quiet as everyone paused to watch the spectacle, even Selda at the counter, who oddly enough was smirking slightly.

"So, you're not going to move. Is that it?" the blond said.

"That sounds about right."

It was almost as if the air froze around the two. An eternity seemed to pass before the blond raised his fist, faster than any normal human could have reacted to.

Had it been the Viccy from several months ago, that would have been the end of it. But 4 months of getting pummeled by little Isopp had counted for  _something_.

Viccy ducked under the blow and saw the blond's other fist coming from the opposite direction. He ducked even lower, avoiding the blow again. Now almost crouching, Viccy took advantage of his position by swinging his arm out and attempting to sweep his opponent's legs out from under him.

The blond avoided it deftly, hopping up into the air and grabbing the top of the door frame. From there, he swung his legs forward, putting his whole body into a bronco kick that would have cracked Viccy's skull.

Viccy twisted his head to the side, the draft from the kick whipping his hair into his eyes. As the pair of jean clad legs sailed by his face, he grabbed them and used every ounce of strength that he had to throw the blond outside.

They soared straight from one side of the street to the other, clearing the cobbled road and falling onto the grass. Viccy barreled out of the doorway as his opponent landed on his feet, skidding a few meters in the dirt. There was hardly a pause before the two rushed at each other again.

They exchanged several flurries of blows until a particularly sneaky jab caught the blond on the chin. He reeled back, and before he could regain his composure, Viccy took the opportunity to deliver a full straight kick to his stomach.

The force of the kick sent him tumbling uncontrollably for several meters, and he was barely beginning to get to his feet again as Viccy rushed him again, intent on finishing the fight.

It was now obvious to the blond that he wasn't going to win a hand to hand fight, and one of his hands traveled to the silver revolver at his waist. The situation would have escalated uncontrollably at this point if it hadn't been for Selda.

She fizzled into existence between the two, grabbing one of their faces in each hand and holding them both a foot off the ground.

"That's enough you two," she said, ignoring their pained yelps. "You'll wake the whole town up." She then dropped them both onto the ground.

The two young men got up glaring daggers at each other and rubbing their behinds. "He started it!" they both shouted at the same time.

"How the hell did I start it? You're the one that tried to hit me first!" Viccy shouted.

"Only because you're too stubborn to get out of the way! I just wanted to visit Selda, jackass"

"Why should I be the one getting out of the way, you blond bimbo? You're the one that flung a door in my face."

"Oh come on. I would have been able to avoid that door with my eyes closed. Maybe you should-"

Selda smacked both of them on the back of the head, hard.

"I said that's enough you two," she said as they pulled their heads out of face-shaped craters in the dirt.

A small crowd of spectators had gathered at the pub's entrance, laughing and talking amongst themselves.

"Ha. I was wondering what would happen when those two met."

"Looks like Viccy's learned some moves."

"That was way more violent than I thought it would be"

"Viccy got some licks in. You owe me 2000 berries, Pat."

Viccy looked back at Selda, his face twisted in confusion. "Do they all know who I am?"

Selda smirked. "Nearly everyone in town knows who you are. You can't become the apprentice of one of the Strawhats and not expect your name to get around."

Viccy wasn't sure how to feel about that, but before he could think about it any longer, he was interrupted by the blond.

"Next time, just get out the way, jackass," he said.

"What was that? How about  _YOU_  watch where  _YOU'RE_  going next time you stupid bimbo."

Another pair of smacks on the head, another pair of craters on the ground. Neither said anything as they got back up, not wanting to risk Selda's ire again, and they began walking their separate ways. The blond paused as he reached the entrance of the pub. "Viccy, right?" He asked out loud.

"With two Cs," Viccy responded without turning around.

"I'm Leon," he said as he walked inside.

Viccy scowled as he began his trek back home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I recently came across one of those "is your character a Mary Sue" tests that people post on reddit sometimes.
> 
> Wouldn't you know it, the very first thing it asked was "Does your character have a unique name or a unique spelling of a common name." I'm not sure why, but the idea of someone seeing that C in place of a K and immediately noping the fuck out just cracked me up. So of course, from now on, I'm going to have to draw attention to it from time to time ;)  
> And if anyone's curious, yes it's gang-related. But thankfully IRLViccy grew out of that shit ages ago. Everyone still calls him "Viccy with two Cs" though.


	4. The Lions

Viccy hummed as he made his way through the streets of Cata, occasionally waving at the townsfolk who called out to him.

Most of them cocked an eyebrow at the peculiar swagger in his step as he walked, wondering what could have gotten into him. While he was about as emotionally subtle as a fox in a chicken coop, no matter how hard he tried to pretend that he was the calm and collected type, he was normally a  _bit_  more reserved.

Truth be told, the young man had several reasons to feel chipper that day.

He had made exceptional progress in the 8 months since his arrival. Last month Usopp had finally had to step in and take Isopp's place as Viccy's regular sparring partner, and most days now involved a 2v1 brawl between Usopp and his proteges.

Now that Viccy could actually make out Usopp's movements, he could see how much the man held back against them. As of yet, neither of them had managed to land so much as a glancing blow.

Miss Kaya seemed to have completely adopted Viccy as part of the family, and would dote on him as openly as she did with Isopp. She had even scolded him a few times, like when he and Isopp had replaced the door stopper in Merry's room with an air horn can. Or when he and Usopp had lathered Merry's shears in glue so they got stuck in his hair when he tried to trim it.

Viccy thought that at least part of the blame was on Merry himself. He just made it too easy to mess with him, and his reactions were always priceless. Miss Kaya didn't see it that way, unfortunately.

Things were going about as well as he could hope, but the main reason for the spring in his step was simple. Today was his eighteenth birthday, which meant...

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

" _Seeeeeeldaaaaaa_!" Viccy called out the moment he entered The Broken Bottle.

The woman in question glanced over at him suspiciously. She recognized that tone of voice, and it had never led to anything good.

"Guess what Selda," Viccy chirped. "Selda. Go on, guess."

"Dammit brat," she said testily. "If you don't get that creepy smirk off your face right now, I'll melt it off."

This did nothing to remove the mischievous look on the young man's face. "I'm 18 Selda," he said. "You know what that means."

Selda's eyes widened in realization. She couldn't detect a hint of a lie on his face.

"No more cola for me," Viccy said, crossing his arms across his chest, his shit-eating grin widening.

Selda had always been a sharp woman. Her instincts had served her well during her adventures on the Grand Line, where life and death were often separated by a hair's breadth. She could sense danger from a mile away, and she felt in her gut that this brat and alcohol would be a recipe for disaster, as if he were somehow genetically inclined to favor the stuff.

"No," she said simply.

Viccy's grin widened even further, as if he had been expecting this. His next words came out as and crisp and controlled as a set of rehearsed lines. "Come on Selda. If I don't get it from here, I'll just go somewhere else for it. This isn't the only bar in town you know."

Selda's eyes narrowed. The brat had a point, but giving in now would go against every instinct that she had.

"Just give him a taste Selda," a voice chimed in from the doorway. "What could go wrong?"

Viccy turned around to see Leon walking up to the counter. The two along with Ollie had become fast friends over the last few months, though they never passed up an opportunity to punch each other in the face.

They had learned a lot about each other. Some things were far more surprising than others, like how Leon had his own a beachfront cottage that he rarely occupied, preferring to sleep outdoors. Or how Ollie somehow owned a small fortune that not even he himself knew the source of, though he suspected that Selda knew more about that than she let on.

"You let Leon have some a few months ago on  _his_  birthday," Viccy said. "What's the deal?"

The woman could feel herself rapidly losing the battle, and it was a feeling she absolutely hated.

He smirked arrogantly at the woman, believing that he had won, before he realized that she was smiling sweetly back. The smirk dropped off of his face in the blink of an eye.

"Fine," Selda said, still smiling. If what he wanted was alcohol, then that was what he'd get.

 _"_ _ _I'll teach you a lesson you'll never forget, brat. You'll never touch a bottle again after this little adventure__ _,"_ she thought to herself.

Leon saw her reaching for one of the bottles she kept on the bottom shelf, hidden from view. The label read " _The Devil's Black Drool._ "

Leon shuddered and looked at his friend, pity written all over his face.

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

Viccy woke up in his bed, a cold towel draped over his forehead.

He was confused at first. Hadn't he just been in The Broken Bottle? He tried to remember what happened, with little success. Only fragments of memory came, and most of them didn't make any sense. Flickering lights. A closet. Was that a  _horse_?

Unfortunately for Viccy, alongside the fragmented memories came an absolutely splitting headache and a massive wave of nausea. He curled up into a ball and rolled over onto his side.

"You're awake!" someone said beside him, causing his head to pound even more.

"Make it stop," he whispered to whoever it was.

"Don't be stupid. This is mostly your own fault, you know." Viccy now recognized the voice as belonging to Miss Kaya. "That Selda... I understand that she wanted to teach you a lesson, but this is too much," she said testily.

"Please," Viccy said. "Just make the pain stop."

Kaya rolled her eyes as she placed a hand on Viccy's neck, searching for a particular artery. She pressed down on it gently for a few seconds, and his consciousness gradually began to fade. The rush of blood as she suddenly raised her fingers knocked his lights out completely. She sighed as she replaced the towel on his forehead.

The young man had scared her half to death when he'd been carried back to the house by those two friends of his near midnight, missing his shirt and bleeding from a small cut on his forehead. After a hurried explanation, the pretty blond boy and the little poofy haired one had gone about their business and left Viccy in her care.

 _"_ _ _These boys are such a handful__ _,"_ she thought to herself.

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

Viccy leaned forward and hid his face in his arms as he listened to Leon and Ollie recount last night's events to him.

"-and then, you tore off your shirt and tried to run the horse straight into the closet, screaming that you had to get back to someplace called  _Narnia_ ," Leon recounted, laughing the whole time. "It bucked you off and you slammed headfirst into the wall!"

"Don't forget the lights," Ollie said expressionlessly.

"Oh yeah. You thought that the-," Leon began.

"That's enough," Viccy begged. "Please, I don't want to hear any more."

He sensed Selda stalking up to him, and tried to shrink into himself even more. The woman didn't say anything as she stood there, arms crossed.

"Sorry," Viccy finally said, still not looking up.

The woman smiled, her eyes fading to a pinkish color as she placed a hand on the back of the young man's head.

"I know," she said.

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

"Alright kid," Usopp said. "I think you're ready."

Viccy, for the most part, didn't hear him, as he was still shaking off the effects that Usopp's slingstaff thingy had left on his head. He could swear that his skull had grown at least a few millimeters thicker since he'd gotten there.

"Wuwusat?" he mumbled out.

"I said, I think you're ready to go for that treasure."

"Really?" Viccy asked.

Usopp paused. "Well, probably... I don't actually know how strong the lions are. They all run away whenever I get near them. I'm sure you'll be fine though."

"You could have just said yes," Viccy mumbled to himself.

"But that would be lying," Usopp said, somehow hearing him. "And I never lie."

"Can I go with ya, Viccy?" Isopp said. He had managed to cram his whole leg inside a gopher burrow 15 minutes ago and still hadn't been able to pull it out.

"Afraid not, brat. You'd probably wet yourself down to your socks just looking at one of those bloodlions," Viccy said.

"You take that back!"

"Make me!"

"I will once I get outta here, jerkface!"

"Alright, you two. I'll see you at dinner," Usopp said and began walking away.

"See ya," Viccy said, and walked away as well, leaving Isopp to his struggling.

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

"Do you have a death wish?" Ollie asked bluntly.

"I most assuredly do not," Viccy said.

"You're going after the chest? People have been trying to get to that thing for ages," Leon said. "Nobody's ever come back."

"Well, I'll be the first. I kind of need it," Viccy said

"What for? You've pretty much been adopted by the richest family in town. There's no way you could need money," Leon said.

"How do you even know it's money in there? For all you know, it might be some sort of map or blueprints of a ship or something."

"And for all you know it might be someone's glass eye," Leon said.

"Whatever it is, I'll need it if I'm going to find the One Piece," Viccy said.

The pub goers around them became deathly silent. Going for the treasure chest was one thing. A few of them even believed that he could do it. But the One Piece? The only person to have found the legendary treasure was the Second Pirate King, Monkey D. Luffy almost 20 years ago.

It took a few moments for the chatter to pick back up, mostly in whispers while looking worriedly in Viccy's direction.

Viccy looked over at his two friends. Ollie was, as always, unreadable. And Leon seemed to be lost in thought.

"Did I hear that right Viccy? You want to find the One Piece?" Selda said from in front of him. She always seemed to pop up out of nowhere.

"Well... Yeah..."

Selda sighed and placed her hand over her face. She had heard this many times before. Kids this age liked to talk big, but none of them really knew what they would be getting into. She knew from experience that it would be impossible for her to talk him out of it by just mentioning the dangers, so she brought out a woman's weapon of choice when crushing a man's dreams.

Cold, merciless logic.

"Do you have a ship?" she asked.

"No, but-"

"Do you have a crew?"

"Uhhh"

"Viccy. Tell me which sea we're in right now..."

"Wasn't it-"

"Do you even know how to navigate?"

Viccy's head was spinning. He couldn't deny anything that she was saying. He probably would have reached a road block on his journey, had it not been for Ollie.

"I can help him," he said.

Selda's gaze turned to him. "Ollie?"

"I have some books on navigation. And if you give me a couple of weeks I can come up with a ship design that shouldn't take too long to build," he said to Viccy. The young man stared at his friend in surprise.

"And I can help build it," said Leon. Viccy turned his surprised expression to the smirking blond.

"I can't let you two have all the fun, right?" Leon said.

Selda stared in horror at the trio. "But why?"

Ollie shrugged. "I've never been on an adventure before."

"If Viccy wants to find the One Piece, he has to make it to the New World right? I have my own reasons for going there," Leon said.

The woman seemed to visibly deflate. "There's giant storms on the Grand Line you know."

"Everyone knows that," Leon said.

"And sea monsters."

"Yep," said Ollie.

"And ships fall from the sky."

"Er...We'll cross that bridge when we get there," Viccy said.

Selda sat down behind the counter and laid her head down in her arms. "So there's no stopping you?"

Viccy looked around at his compatriots. He had never had any actual friends before, so this warm, bubbly feeling of dependence and camaraderie was completely new to him. "Look's like there isn't."

"We'll be fine Selda," Leon said. "You ran around making a ruckus there for years. Why can't we?"

"Gee. I don't know. Maybe because, unlike me,  _you_  can't tear down a city with a pinky finger?" she groaned out, her voice still muffled by the wooden counter. Ollie placed his hand on the back of the woman's head.

"You worry too much," Leon said. "After we head out, the next time you see us, I'll be able to blow a hole through a mountain by looking at it. Just you watch."

Selda couldn't help but giggle a bit at the youth's proclamation.

"But first thing's first Viccy," Leon said.

"What?" Viccy replied, not liking the way Leon was looking at him up and down with his face twisted into a grimace, as if he was looking at something unsightly.

"You need a new wardrobe," he said.

"What the hell. Why?"

"Oh come on. You can't sail the Grand Line in a sweatsuit. Besides, Ollie's had the whole 'unassuming appearance' shtick covered for way longer than you have."

"He has a point," Ollie chipped in, his hand still on Selda's head.

"So what are you suggesting? I dress up like a clown or something?" Viccy said.

"Maybe like, a suit?" Ollie said.

"Naaah. Viccy here's way too sloppy to pull off a suit," Leon said. "I mean, get a load of that hair. How often do you brush it?"

"Never," Viccy said honestly. He'd asked Miss Kaya to cut it shorter a few weeks back when it was annoying him by getting in his eyes, but that was as far as his interest in hair care went.

"Ok then... Maybe just a vest?" suggested Leon. "You're muscly enough to not look like a waiter."

"That could work, I guess," said Viccy.

Selda groaned from underneath Ollie's hand. " _Will these idiots really be ok_?" she thought.

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

Viccy had to admit, he did look good in a vest. It paired nicely with the jeans and boots that he was used to wearing, and while he personally thought that the tie was a bit much, Leon had been adamant about its inclusion.

Miss Kaya had doted on him until his ears were red and he couldn't bear to look up from the ground when he had come home wearing the new threads, a bag of other clothes slung over his shoulder.

Now, as he got ready for bed, he mentally steeled himself for tomorrow's events. There was a treasure chest out there with his name on it.

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

Viccy shuddered as he stared down the monstrosity in front of him. People had warned him that the bloodlions were freaky looking, but this was absurd. The average creatures were about waist high, with burning red fur, enormous black compound eyes, and a pair of massive, saber-like fangs hanging down below a squashed looking muzzle.

The southern part of the island itself was unremarkable. Flat plains as far as the eye could see with the occasional tree littered here and there. The only thing noteworthy was the roaming packs of these monsters.

He had gotten a look at several of them, but for the most part had been able to avoid the beasts. Except for this one. It was at least 3 times as big as the others, and its eyes shone with an eerily intelligent light.

Viccy had watched it from a distance for almost an hour, hoping that it would leave to find lunch or something, because right in the middle of what was obviously its nest, sat a lock box small enough to grip in a single hand. During that time, he had taken to calling the monster "Itchy" for its tendency to scratch itself under the chin every few seconds.

Of course Itchy hardly moved from its spot, as if it were instinctively standing vigil over the box. Viccy had eventually decided to make a move, which led him to his current predicament.

He looked away from the creature and at the objective of his little adventure. At the very least he knew that it definitely wasn't money in that thing. It was simply too small.

The young man prepared himself, intent on making the first move, but as his eyes attempted to focus on the beast again, he found himself staring at empty space. The lion had disappeared.

Viccy hit the deck just in time, and he heard the sound of the beast's jaws clamp shut where his head had been mere milliseconds before. He barely had time to roll out of the way before Itchy's claws swung down, missing him by inches and gouging out a grove into the dirt.

"Holy shit, you're fast," Viccy said as he jumped to his feet.

The lion ignored him and tensed up to strike again. Then Viccy did something that the beast wasn't expecting.

He turned around and sprinted away. The animal was dumbfounded. Nobody that had made it this far had ever just turned tail and run.

"Catch me if you can, Itchy," Viccy yelled over his shoulder as he sprinted towards one of the few trees that called the southern plains of the island home. The beast didn't need to be told twice. Shaking itself out of its stupor, it charged after him, leaving a massive trail of dust in its wake. Just as Itchy was about to close the distance, Viccy reached the tree and jumped straight up into the air.

The result of his 9 months of training with Usopp became evident, as he rose almost 10 meters off the ground and curled his fingers around one of the branches. "Come at me, cat," he taunted down.

The cat in question obliged, leaping up into the air in an attempt to get at Viccy. The young man flipped himself upside down, planted his feet on the branch, and kicked off towards the ground with enough force to snap the wood.

He couldn't help but chuckle at the lion's expression as he sailed right by him.

Viccy landed on his feet and immediately kicked off into the air again, bringing his fist back. "Can't dodge in the air, can you Itchy?" he said, grinning as he punched the bloodlion in the throat, sending the both of them hurtling.

The beast was thrown to the ground, sputtering and squirming around in pain. Viccy landed some distance away and readied his stance, in case the lion wanted more.

It didn't. The beast got shakily to its feet and stared at the young man, before seemingly deciding that the morsel wouldn't be worth the trouble. The lion turned around and began walking away, attempting to preserve some dignity.

"That's a nice effort, Itchy," Viccy called after it. "But it would be better if you weren't still choking."

"That was a decent show," said a voice from behind him. He turned around to see Ollie and Leon walking up, both of them armed. Though in Ollie's case...

"What are you two doing here?" Viccy asked.

"It was implied yesterday that we would find that chest together. You're the one that just went off on his own." Ollie said.

"Was it really?" Viccy asked. He remembered no such implication.

"Either way, you didn't need our help," Ollie said.

"We busted our asses getting here, thinking we were gonna make this heroic entrance and rescue your sorry ass from a pack of these things. But these bloodlions are  _lame_. One shot from Vindy here and they went packing," Leon said, fondly patting the lever action rifle he was leaning on his shoulder.

"Their reputation does seem a bit exaggerated. I didn't even get to test my halo-ray," mumbled Ollie, gesturing to the strange weapon in his hand. It looked like a cross between a cartoon laser pistol and a coffeemaker. Viccy couldn't even begin to imagine what it actually did.

"We might as well see about that chest," Ollie said.

"I appreciate you coming out here, I guess. Even if you didn't really do anything..." Viccy said as he walked over to Itchy's former nest. Viccy held his breath as he retrieved the box. The nest smelled absolutely rank, and he scurried away as soon as he had the little container in his grip.

The air was tense with anticipation as the other two gathered around and Viccy opened the box. It took a moment for them to recognize its content, and even longer for them to actually believe their eyes.

Inside of the box was a pitaya fruit with swirling patterns across the surface.

A devil fruit.


	5. Of Devils, Ships, Goodbyes, and Doctors

"A devil fruit, huh," Usopp said.

"Yep," said Viccy.

Usopp looked thoughtful for a moment. A rare sight, truth be told.

"My guess is that the crew that left it behind didn't wanna to eat it until they knew for sure what it did. This is thing looks kinda... unfriendly," Usopp said, tapping one of the spikes. "Are you gonna eat it?"

"I was sorta hoping you might tell me. You went through the Grand Line without a devil fruit, right?" Viccy said.

Usopp smirked. "You're damned right I did. But not everyone was as lucky as I was. With people like Luffy and Zoro on board, they would have made it even if I wasn't there."

"So I shouldn't eat it?" Viccy asked.

Usopp's smile was drained from his face, and he gaze he gave Viccy was intense enough to make him a bit uncomfortable. "Listen, kid. I won't sugarcoat it. If you hit the jackpot with that thing, it'll really even the odds for you out there. And if you don't... A sailor that can't swim... In the end, you're the one that makes the decision. I can't tell you what to do."

Viccy took a moment to process this. Demonio had obviously intended for him to eat the thing, but how could he be sure it wasn't something really stupid?

He didn't trust the mutt, that was for sure. But he remembered the words of some nose less guy he had heard at one point. No matter what power the fruit gave, he wouldn't get any weaker.

 _"_ _ _Besides, I barely even know how to doggy paddle...__ _" he_ thought.

"I'll eat it," he said.

Usopp's smirk returned. He crossed his arms, looking at Viccy expectantly. "Well, go on then."

"What? Right now?" Viccy asked.

"Sure. While Kaya isn't here to say anything about it. You know how she is..."

Viccy looked over at his friends. Ollie simply shrugged at him, while Leon looked at the fruit inside the box as if it were poisonous. He clearly wanted nothing to do with the thing.

"Just don't expect me to fish you out of the water if you go overboard," Leon said.

And with that, it was settled.

"Here goes," Viccy said, grabbing the spiky pitaya fruit out of the box and holding it near his face. After one last look around, Viccy steeled himself and bit out a big chunk.

And immediately began to gag. Disgusting didn't begin to describe the flavor. The surface of the fruit was hard and crusty, while the inside had the consistency of earwax. He could taste every single one of the centuries that the fruit had been stagnating inside of that box slide down his throat. The moment it hit his stomach, he began shivering and sweating at the same time. He felt as if he had just swallowed an ice cold habanero.

Usopp was visibly fighting to keep from laughing. "Don't stop now. There's still plenty left."

Ollie opened his mouth to say something, but was silenced by a quick glare from Usopp. He looked a bit troubled as he closed his mouth, but it clearly didn't bother him enough for him to say what had been on his mind.

The two minutes that it took Viccy to eat the rest of the fruit were some of the worst of his life. By the end, he was dry heaving on his hands and knees, attempting to keep his stomach acid  _inside_  of him.

Usopp was also on the ground, but only because he was laughing uncontrollably.

Ollie, who as always was terrible at judging the mood, finally spoke up and said what he had planned to say 2 minutes ago.

"You only had to take one bite Viccy."

Viccy's eyes snapped open. He was still unable to get to his feet and only had enough strength in his body to look up at Ollie. "What did you say?"

"You only had to take one bite?" Ollie said. He didn't like the way Viccy was looking at him and took a couple of steps behind Leon just in case. The blond himself seemed a bit relieved as he looked down at Viccy, as if he had actually been expecting something worse.

Viccy finally managed to get to his feet, hunching over and placing his hands on his knees for support. He glared at Ollie before taking a deep breath and trying to gather his patience.

"Ollie. What could have possibly possessed you to not say anything about it earlier?" he asked.

"I was going to. Usopp made me," Ollie said from behind Leon.

"And it was rather funny," he mumbled. Nobody else heard that last part though.

Viccy turned in Usopp's direction. The man was back on his feet, with a shit-eating "wutchugunnadoaboutit" grin plastered on his face.

Viccy felt something spark inside of him. He knew he wasn't anywhere near strong enough to exact his revenge on Usopp physically. But if he couldn't harm him with punches and kicks, he'd have to harm him with words. "DAMN YOU, OLD MAN!" he began.

To everyone's surprise, a tongue of flame escaped his mouth alongside his heated curse.

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

Usopp and Viccy were mostly quiet on the way home. A lot had happened that afternoon, and Viccy was still having trouble believing it all.

Usopp broke the silence as they reached the gates leading to the gardens.

He had been just as amazed as everyone else had been, though his amazement had been tempered with a bit of panic. Not that he had let it show at the time... "A Mythical Zoan type. Lizard-Lizard Fruit: Model Dragon. Who woulda thunk it?"

Viccy just grunted in response. He was still a bit queasy from the fruit.

"I'll tell you one thing, Viccy. No matter how strong your fruit is, you'll still get beaten by someone who's worked harder than you. Just don't start relying solely on that fruit of yours or you'll be in trouble before long," Usopp said. "You understand right?"

"Yeah, I get it," Viccy said as they reached the door.

Usopp smiled and ruffled Viccy's hair, much to the young man's annoyance.

Kaya opened the door before Usopp even had a chance to reach for the handle. The smile on her face faded as she took them in. "Viccy. You look awful," she said. "Usopp? What happened to your clothes!?"

"Viccy lit them on fire," he said, walking inside. "Is dinner ready?"

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

The next few months passed by in a flash for Viccy.

He had been training to gain control over his new powers. The ones he had discovered so far would be extremely useful on his journey. In his hybrid form, his scales were impervious to bullets and bladed weapons, although he had found that he could still be injured with enough blunt force. He had Usopp to thank for that discovery. The man really knew how to handle that slingstaff thingy...

Being a dragon, he could also fly and there was the obvious increase in strength and speed. But the most interesting ability he'd discovered so far had to be his breath attacks. It wasn't limited to only fire. He had been able to pump out an assortment of odd elements and compounds from his mouth. This peculiar ability had led to an annoying new nickname from Leon. He had taken to calling Viccy, "Spicebreath."

As for his full dragon form, to say that it was completely uncontrollable would have been like saying sea kings were reasonably big... Apparently, mythical dragons were not nice creatures. While he didn't remember any of it, he had been told by a panicked and, for some reason, sopping wet Leon that he probably would have tried to raze the whole town to the ground if it hadn't been for Usopp, who had shot him out of the sky and into the ocean. The painful bruise left behind by the unnaturally powerful slingshot pellet had taken absolute  _ _ages__ to heal.

On the less exciting side of things, Selda had seemed a bit relieved upon hearing about Viccy's Devil Fruit. She knew that their odds of making it through the Grand Line in one piece had increased.

Kaya on the other hand...

Viccy had never actually seen her get angry before. Thankfully, her ire seemed to mostly be directed towards Usopp. She had fussed over Viccy much more than usual, however. It had been several weeks before her mother hen tendencies had been exhausted and she'd finally accepted that she couldn't change anything. He'd already eaten the fruit and was stuck with it for life.

Ollie had made good on his promise. He had presented his plans for a ship to Usopp, who had looked over it and given an impressed whistle. "I can't make heads or tails of this," he'd said. "Looks to be the first of its kind. Nice job Ollie."

Ollie had given one of his rare smiles.

Usopp helped them find an unoccupied cove that they could use not too far from town, and with the materials Ollie procured along with his guidance, and Leon and Viccy's brute strength, the three young men began to build.

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

The ship took almost 4 months to put together, even with Usopp's occasional help. The days had been long, the work had been grueling, and the frequent injuries painful, but as the trio looked upon their completed vessel, it was as if all of their aches and pains were washed away.

She was a beauty. 30 meters long, heavily armored, and more than capable of defending herself with ten 24lber cannons on each side. According to Ollie, she also had a mess of hidden functions and surprises stored within her hull.

Ollie had managed to incorporate one of the stranger substances that Viccy could spew out of his mouth. A volatile green gas that would explode violently at the slightest spark. It was this substance that powered everything from the electric lights to the emergency propellers. Ollie had placed a sealed storeroom stocked with the stuff in the bilge of the ship, surrounded with heavy armor. Viccy just wished that the extraction machine was a bit less embarrassing to wear. It looked like nothing more than a cow milker strapped to his face.

Leon and Viccy turned their heads, having sensed Usopp's familiar aura walking up.

"She's a beauty," he said.

"Obviously," Leon said. "You know how much trouble this thing was to build? My calluses have calluses."

"She's a bit bigger than the Sunny was. How are you supposed to navigate her with only 3 crew members?" Usopp asked.

"She has autopilot," Ollie said simply.

"They have that now?! Times sure have changed," Usopp said. "I meant to tell you about the tags, but... Ah well. It's not important."

The four spent several moments admiring the ship.

 _"It really is pretty," t_ hought Viccy for the hundredth time. Everything from the double masts to the dragon-shaped figurehead looked absolutely magnificent to him.

"So what are you gonna name her?" Usopp asked.

Both Viccy and Leon turned to Ollie. They would never have gotten this done without him after all. At the very least, he should get to name it.

He seemed to mull it over for a moment before answering. "How about... The Iron Maiden?"

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

It had been a little over a year since Viccy had arrived at Zapacata. During that time, he had come to love the island and its people, and it seemed like they'd come to love him right back.

Most of the town had taken the day off to see their three young men off. Leon was busy pretending to be indifferent, although it was obvious to anyone that he was moved. Ollie was... Ollie. And as for Viccy, his attention was focused solely on the group of people in front of him.

"How long will ya be gone?" Isopp asked.

"A pretty long time, kiddo," Viccy said.

"Hmph. Well if it's like that, then ya better train hard. By the time ya come back, I'll be big enough to kick yer ass back to the Grand Line."

Viccy laughed and ruffled the child's blond mop. "I'm counting on it, brat."

To be honest, he wasn't really sure if he'd ever come back. The tyke didn't need to know that though.

Viccy turned to Usopp. The man was smiling, but unlike pretty much any other time he smiled, there was no trace of mischief or hidden intent. "Good luck out there, kid."

"Good luck back home, old man," Viccy answered. The two nodded knowingly at each other.

Viccy then turned to Kaya. The woman didn't say anything. She just wrapped her arms around him. "This is it, huh?" she said, pressing his head into her shoulder.

"Yes," he said.

Viccy already had a mother. One that he loved with all his heart and was trying to get back to. But over the past year, the blonde woman currently cradling him like a child had subtly eased her way into his heart. He couldn't bring himself to say it out loud at the moment, but he loved her. And he knew that she loved him.

"You'll be careful, right?"

"Yeah."

"You won't cause too much trouble?"

"Well..."

Kaya pulled Viccy's head back and looked him in the eye. "Viccy..."

"I mean. I'm going to have to cause a bit of trouble at least," he said.

Miss Kaya sighed in exasperation. She seemed to do that a lot lately. "Just be careful ok?"

"You already said that Miss Kaya," Viccy said.

The woman chuckled before releasing him.

Viccy finally turned to his 2 crewmates, who were being fussed over by Selda.

"I went and stocked the ship with all the provisions you'll need," she said. "None of you thought about that, did you? Did you plan to starve out there? And your maps are all at least a decade out of date!"

"Islands don't move Selda," Ollie said.

"Well, no. But currents and regular winds can shift. You have to plan for these things. Otherwise, you'll end up getting eaten by sea kings, or caught by slave traffickers, or-"

"Selda. Just calm down. We've been through this already," Leon said.

"Yeah. We'll be fine," Viccy said.

"I know. It's just... I know," she said, before catching all three of them in her arms and lifting them a foot off the ground. "Be safe, alright you three."

"We will," Viccy wheezed.

"Please let us go," Ollie said. "Leon's gun is stabbing my kidney."

The woman plopped them onto the ground, leaving them gasping for breath.

"I think you bruised a few ribs," Leon complained.

"Think of it as a parting gift," she said, pushing them away.

As the three began to walk down the improvised dock to their new ship, Viccy heard Usopp call out behind them. "Hey, you three!"

They all stopped and turned to look at him.

"This path you're on won't be easy. You'll all have a hell of a lot of new scars by the time you reach the One Piece. But if you stick with it, I guarantee you'll have the time of your lives. This world is big, and once you're on that ship, it'll be all yours. So tear things up, fight, make mistakes, fall in love. We'll all be waiting to hear about you."

The crowd behind the Strawhat began to cheer. Pretty soon, you could have heard the hubbub from a mile away. The trio was almost trembling in anticipation as they finally boarded the Iron Maiden.

Once they reached the helm, Ollie began fiddling with a series of buttons and switches across the control panel. A feminine voice sounded through the intercom system. "Preparations underway. Welcome aboard Mr. Viccy, Mr. Leon, Mr. Ollie."

"Holy shit! This thing talks?" Leon said.

"This 'thing' has a name, Mr. Leon. You may refer to me as Maddy."

"An Artificial Intelligence," Viccy said. Even back home, AI technology was still in its infancy. Ollie was apparently an even greater genius than he'd first thought.

"Precisely, Viccy. Nice to see there are at least two intelligent beings aboard," Maddy said.

"Hold on now," Leon said. "What exactly is that supposed to mean?"

"Preparations complete, Mr. Ollie," Maddy said. "I'm ready when you are."

"Then let's go," Ollie said.

The ship lurched as the sails unfurled.

"It's actually happening," Leon said.

"Yep," Viccy said. He fondly patted his chest, where his necklace was safely tucked away under his shirt. "So it begins."

The Iron Maiden's sails billowed magnificently as she set off into the South Blue. The inhabitants of the Town of Cata watched until the ship was a distant speck on the horizon.

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

Eventually, the crowd began to dissipate, going back to their daily lives, until only two women remained. A beautiful blonde and a rather imposing red-eyed woman.

"I'll see you back at the house, Kaya," Usopp said, patting her on the back and lifting Isopp onto his shoulders.

The two women continued to gaze in the direction that the three boys had disappeared into for some time. It was Selda who broke the silence. "They're gone."

"I know," Miss Kaya said.

"We probably won't see them for years," Selda said.

"I know," Miss Kaya said, now beginning to choke.

"I'm sure they'll be fine," Selda said.

"Yeah," Miss Kaya said.

The women turned around and began to walk back to town, both rubbing a few tears out of their eyes now that nobody was watching.

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

A couple of hours after setting sail, a question popped into Ollie's head. One that he knew he would have to handle very carefully. "Hey, you two," he said.

The two in question turned to look at him, knowing that it had to be important. Ollie hardly ever started conversations on his own.

"We probably should have decided this before we left, but... Who's the captain?" he said.

Viccy and Leon turned to stare at each other. Demonio hadn't specifically said that Viccy had to be the captain, but it was sort of strange to think of himself following Leon around the Grand Line, as much as he loved the guy (though he'd never admit it). Leon himself didn't really care about being captain. He just needed to get to the New World. But this seemed like a prime opportunity to butt heads with Viccy, which was something that neither youth ever passed up.

"Whichever you decide, please don't start fighting here," Maddy said. "I doubt any of you could swim back to Zapacata..."

The ship had a point.

"Do you have any kind of game we could play on board?" Viccy asked.

Ollie smiled. "I can think of a few options."

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

Leon howled in frustration as his fighter's head was rammed into the dirt.

"That's 3 straight wins out of 5 for me," Viccy said smugly. "You're really bad at this Bimbo."

"You shut your damn mouth, Spicebreath!" Leon shouted. "This game is stupid!"

And so, the captain of the Iron Maiden, a ship whose name would one day be known around the world, was decided with a game of Ultimate Marine Fighters 3: The Traitorous Warlords on the GameMollusk 2.

"Snail technology sure has come a long way," Viccy said.

"Does this thing even work?" Leon said, fiddling with controller snail.

"Don't blame the snail. You're just bad," Ollie said, who was watching the proceedings with a mildly amused expression. Amused by his standards anyway.

"You want to try, fuzzball? Give him the controller, Viccy," Leon said.

The trio continued to play for several hours. Leon cursed and raged the entire time, yet always came back for more. Finally, as he began to hear a constant ringing in his ears from his own yelling, he decided he'd had enough. "I'm hungry," he huffed.

Viccy's own stomach growled loudly in agreement. The three made their way to the galley. Leon thanked any powers that be for bringing Selda into his life, for without her, they really would have forgotten about stocking up for the journey. He cringed at the thought of having to go back to Zapacata and tell everyone that they had forgotten to pack lunch.

Ollie opened the refrigerator.

It was beautifully set up. A massive range of condiments and ingredients that Leon didn't even know the names of were sectioned off and labeled. It even looked like Selda had taken the time to color arrange it for some reason. The three took a moment to admire her handiwork before something dawned on them. They looked at each other questioningly, before their eyes widened in horror.

Ollie was the only one able to work up the courage and ask.

"So... Do either of you know how to cook?"

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

It was 2 days before the ship made its way to their hurriedly altered destination. 2 days of eating nothing but bland boiled noodles. As land finally came into view, Leon and Ollie almost shed tears. They jostled for position at the prow of the ship, staring at their salvation.

"It's finally over," Leon said.

"I think my stomach was beginning to eat itself," Ollie said.

"I take back what I said about two of you being intelligent. You're all idiots," Maddy said.

Viccy thought that they were being overly dramatic. Sure the soggy noodles were gross, but it had only been a couple of days. Not to say that he wasn't relieved... "What is this place anyway?" he said.

"The island of Pompein. It only has one port town by the same name," Maddy said. "There's nothing noteworthy in the records. It's just an average South Blue island."

"Does it have any restaurants?" Leon asked.

"How should I know?" Maddy said, sounding miffed. "I'm not omnipotent."

"You can't have kids?" Leon said, confusion written on his handsome features.

"That's  _impotent_ , Leon..." Ollie said.

Viccy rubbed his temples. Maddy, having no hands, had to settle for a sigh.

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

The town of Pompein was actually substantially bigger than Viccy had imagined from Maddy's description.

 _"_ _ _It's probably about the same size as a small town back home__ _,"_ he thought.

Something was definitely wrong with the place, though. For the town's size, the streets were virtually deserted. The few individuals out in the streets walked quickly and with their eyes to the ground, occasionally looking around nervously. Something was  _very_  definitely wrong.

"Something's going on here," Leon said.

"Thanks, genius. We'd never have figured that out on our own," Viccy said. While Viccy hadn't minded the terrible food as much as the other two up until now, his nerves were still pretty fried.

"There's a whole lot you can't figure out on your own, Spice. Like how to not be a sarcastic little shit."

"You mind repeating that within swinging distance, Bimbo?" Viccy said, balling his hands up and glaring at Leon.

"Guys, I know we're all a bit short tempered right now, but it probably isn't the best idea to get booted out of town until we know what's going on. Or at least until they feed us," Ollie said, putting an end to their little scene, which had been attracting a bit of attention.

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

The restaurant that they had found was a tidy little thing. Comfortable and well lit, it was the epitome of a Mom and Pop Diner. The few patrons that entered all seemed to breathe a sigh of relief when they stepped inside.

The three young men were no different. As Leon leaned his lever action on the table and they plopped down onto the cushy chairs, each and every one of them breathed a little easier. A young waitress immediately came over.

"What'll ya have?" she asked. The three placed their orders and the waitress left, giving a wink and a smile in Leon's direction. He aimed a self-satisfied look at his friends.

"Fuck you," Viccy said. "You don't have to be so smug about it."

"It's not my fault that I was born beautiful," Leon said, placing his hands behind his head and leaning his chair back onto its rear legs.

Ollie had the sudden urge to kick them out from under him, though he couldn't figure out why.

"I feel bad for always making you pay for everything," Viccy said to Ollie, who waved him off.

"It's not like I'd ever have any other use for that money," he said.

"Hey guys," Leon said, gesturing for their attention. "Get a load of that." He flicked his head to the side, calling their attention to a table a small distance from theirs.

Sitting alone at the table was a young woman, about Viccy and Leon's age. Her hair was long and white, and she was fair of face. She was dressed conservatively in a knee-length dress, and a shawl was wrapped around her shoulders. While Viccy couldn't see much skin, as even her legs were covered in stockings, he could tell that she had a well-toned body.

Her eyes were beautiful. Large and slightly angled, with a shocking emerald green color and abnormally small pupils, like a hawk's.

But what drew their attention the most, and probably the attention of everybody else in the room, was the massive nodachi leaned against her lap. The blade had to be almost a meter and a half long. Its decorative white scabbard had blue and red serpent designs wrapped around it, the snakes' mouths opening at its throat. Viccy honestly thought that it looked kind of like a candy cane. Not that he'd ever say that out loud.

"That sword looks like a candy cane," Ollie said out loud.

"Forget the sword," Leon said. He turned to Viccy expectantly. "She's hot ain't she?"

There was no way Viccy could deny it. She was indeed "hot."

"Yeah," Viccy said. "You might want to hold off on that though. She might know how to handle that sword."

"I wonder if that's the only kind of sword that she can handle," Leon said, wiggling his eyebrows.

Viccy could only chuckle in response. His amusement faded immediately when he noticed the young woman standing up.

"I'm just saying. Girl like her? I'd lick every part of her body that I could reach," Leon said, nodding his head in a self-assured manner.

The girl slung the nodachi over her back. And then she moved...

Within an instant, she was directly behind Leon, throwing a punch at his head that would have killed a lesser man.

Luckily for him, Leon was no lesser man. Sensing the incoming blow, he threw his head forward, avoiding the punch, and within a moment was standing up, his golden revolver in hand and trained at his assailant's head.

The girl had also somehow managed to unsheathe her massive sword in that instant, and was holding the blade an inch from Leon's throat. The diner went deadly quiet as everyone realized what was going on.

The girl spoke. Her voice was a bit gruffer than Viccy would have imagined, but still recognizably feminine.

"Didn't your mother teach you respect?" she said.

Leon's hand tensed noticeably on his revolver. It seemed that the girl had stumbled across a sore topic for him. He took a moment to calm himself, before sighing. "You weren't supposed to hear that," he said.

"Well I did, asshole," she said.

"I think everyone here's just overreacting," Ollie said. The girl looked at him out of the corners of her eyes.

"Nobody asked you fuzzball," she said. Leon's eyes crinkled a bit at the corners.

Viccy also thought that the situation was getting a bit ridiculous. It was obvious that neither party actually wanted to fight inside of the little diner. This whole thing was like a grade school playground brawl. Quick to start up and something that a simple apology would fix.

The only difference was that the grade schoolers in question were probably a bit more dangerous than your average raging elephant.

"How about we all just put our deadly weapons away, and settle this like reasonable adults," Viccy said.

The girl only huffed.

It was Leon that made the first move. He de-cocked his revolver and slowly returned it to his holster. The girl followed his example, and the massive sword was effortlessly lifted back into its scabbard with an unsettling metallic hiss.

Leon surprised everyone by leaning forward suddenly, his head lowered in a bow. "I'm sorry," he said.

The girl crossed her arms over her chest, and Viccy grinned. He knew the blond had it in him.

"Even if you shouldn't have heard what I said, I shouldn't have said it behind your back," he said. "I should have said it to your face. I'm sorry."

Viccy had to fight back a fit of laughter. Surprisingly, he wasn't the only one amused. The girl raised her hand to cover her mouth, and her eyes softened a bit and crinkled at the corners. It looked like the crisis had been averted, and that this would be the end of it.

Until the door blew off its hinges.

There was chaos inside the diner. Parents attempted to shield their children and a few people tried to dive behind the counter. There was a hell of a lot more screaming than the three young men thought was strictly necessary.

The girl was the first to react. Before the dust had settled, she grabbed all three of the young men and began ushering them out of the rear exit, Leon managing to grab his rifle even as he was pushed along.

Once safely outside in the deary alley behind the building, Ollie looked back mournfully. "I didn't even get to eat."

"Never mind that," the girl said. She sped through the alleyways, and the boys followed her, not knowing what else to do.

"What about the people back there?" Viccy asked.

"They'll be fine. They don't care about them," she said.

"Who're 'they' exactly?"

"The marines," she said.

Viccy nearly fell flat on his face.

He hadn't actually met any marines yet, but if he recalled, Usopp had said that the Marines had been reformed by that pink haired kid. Why would they be attacking small time diners? "Is there something we're missing here?" he said. "And you never told us who you were."

The girl turned towards them, not slowing down. On her face was a cocky grin. "Priscilla Cutter," she said. "I'm a doctor. And it's me that they're after."

The three stopped in their tracks. An outlaw?

"Wait a minute..." Viccy said. "Why'd have you have to drag us with you then? We could have stayed in that diner and been fine!"

"Well, too bad. You've been seen with me," she said, turning to face them. "That's enough to get you in their crosshairs."

"What did you do?" Leon said, seemingly in awe.

Priscilla's expression turned a bit bashful and she rubbed the back of her neck. "I  _may_  have disfigured their captain. He deserved it though."

"What the fuck could have possessed you to do that?" Viccy asked, shuddering at the thought of the young woman taking that nodachi of hers to someone's face.

"Like I said, the bastard was asking for it," she said, dodging the question. "We'd better keep moving. They'll be looking for you too now, and all of you stick out like sore thumbs. An empty headed cowboy, an awkward fuzzball, and a waiter. Sounds like the start of a bad joke."

And with that, she turned around and kept walking, leaving the three young men sputtering.

They all jogged to catch up with her.

"Hold on now. You couldn't have meant that. I asked everyone I knew back on Zapacata and they  _assured_  me that I didn't look like any kind of service employee."

"I'm not empty headed. I'm just a man of action is all."

"I'm not awkward. I prefer to think of myself as silent and observant."

"Yeah, yeah," she said as she waved them off. "You guys understand we're all in this together, right?"

"Thanks for that, by the way," Ollie said, annoyed.

"No problem, Fuzzy," she said. "Anyways, I think we can help each other out. You guys are pirates right?"

"Uh... not really," Viccy said. None of them had actually planned to get on any law enforcement's bad side when they set out. It wasn't like looking for a legendary treasure was illegal.

She turned to them, one of her eyebrows raised in confusion. "But you came here on an unregistered ship didn't you?"

"How do you know about Maddy?" Ollie said, suddenly suspicious.

"You named the ship Maddy?" she said, snorting derisively.

"That's not her actual name. Just answer the question," Ollie said.

She smirked and gestured to her hawk-like eyes. "These eyes see all, Fuzzy. I ate the sight sight fruit. I could see an ant from a mile away. Among other things..."

"A devil fruit? That explains why your eyes are so pretty," Leon asked.

Priscilla turned to him, her smirk widening. "See, you can be charming when you want to be," she said. "And no. The fruit only affects your vision. I was born with these." she said, batting her emerald greens.

"What was that you said about an unregistered ship?" Viccy asked.

"Do you idiots really not know?" She said, seeming genuinely surprised. The three young men just gazed back at her questioningly.

She sighed, and then grimaced as if she realized she'd be doing that a lot for a while. "All civilian vessels have to be registered by the United Republic before they begin construction, and have a unique tag painted onto their hulls and sails. If you don't, then the ship'll be impounded and destroyed. Pirates are the only ones that sail around without registration tags."

The three young men turned to look at each other, an unspoken conversation taking place between them.

Destroyed? Their Maiden? The ship that had taken a full third of a year of their lives to build, suffering under the scorching hot sun? The ship they had poured all their hopes and dreams into? That in the two days that they had spent aboard, they had already come to regard as an overly nagging and sarcastic friend?

A decision was quickly reached.

Viccy was the one who said it out loud. "I guess we're pirates now."

The young doctor smiled. "Good."


	6. Showdown at Pompein

The group of four took cover on the roof of a building across the street from the docks. They were supposedly there to scout it out and come up with a plan from there, but at the moment they were accomplishing little outside of squabbling amongst themselves.

"Selda said to stay out of trouble," Ollie said.

"Selda said a lot of things," Leon said. "Besides. If you really think about it, we're not the bad guys here."

"Blondie's right, Fuzzy. You're not getting out of this one without making a mess," Priscilla said.

She noticed Viccy attempting, and failing, to drown out their chatter as he gazed at the full company of Marines surrounding his ship. What with the fascinated gaze that he cast on them, you'd almost believe it was his first time seeing one.

"You thinking of joining?" she said, grinning impishly.

His head flicked towards her, surprised that she was talking to him. "Not really. I was just thinking they just look a lot less silly than before. What happened to the neckerchiefs and baseball caps?"

Priscilla began to wonder about what kind of rock he had lived under before he came here, and it showed on her face.

"You don't have to look at me like I'm an idiot..." Viccy said, his face reddening slightly.

"No... It's just..." she said, wondering how to explain to him that she knew he couldn't be half the idiot that he made himself out to be. Thankfully, she realized that particular answer probably wouldn't make him feel any better, so she settled for just answering his original question. "The old uniforms were phased out after the Old World Government fell. That was 17 years ago..."

He looked a bit thoughtful for a moment. "They're pretty sharp," he said.

She herself looked at the Marines, though she couldn't keep the disdain from showing on her face. From here they didn't look any different from any other Marines. They wore the long-sleeved uniform proudly, their ranks emblazoned on the back directly above the Marine insignia. The armor that was hidden underneath added a bit of bulk to each soldier, making them appear a bit more imposing than they would otherwise.

Watching them strut around in the uniforms that should have been a symbol of order and peace made her blood boil.

"They got rid of the flintlocks too," Viccy said, looking pointedly at the more advanced looking rifles each Marine carried.

"That wasn't all that long ago actually," Priscilla said. "Most marines couldn't hit the broadside of a battleship with the old flintlocks-"

"Because ball rounds are inaccurate as a principle," Viccy said, as if he were reciting something from memory. "The advent of the pointed bullet and full metal jacket meant a huge leap in lethality for the average soldier."

Priscilla raised an eyebrow at him.

"My Old Man's kind of a gun nut," Viccy mumbled.

"You don't say," Priscilla said.

Ollie interrupted them, snapping their attention back to the problem at hand. "So, what's the plan?"

"We get in there, kick their asses, take Maddy back, and get the hell out of here," Leon said.

"So... she's coming with us?" Ollie said, looking at Priscilla.

"Do you know how to cook?" Leon asked suddenly.

Priscilla's eyes narrowed dangerously and began emanating a faint glow. "Are you trying to be funny?"

"No," Leon said, rubbing the back of his head. "It's kind of embarrassing to say out loud."

"None of us know how to feed ourselves," Ollie said without hesitation. "The only reason we're here is that we were  _actually_  dying."

"It was hell," Leon agreed.

"For fuck's sake. It was only two days!" Viccy said.

Priscilla considered herself pretty well traveled, and had met all sorts of people around the South Blue. She had a general idea as to the personality of the three boys beside her.

The little fuzzball, who was obviously the most intelligent of the bunch, had no social sensitivity whatsoever.

The blond wasn't any better. He did have some gumption to him, as he had managed to avoid her punch back at the diner. She hadn't been trying to cause any permanent damage, but the fact that she'd missed meant that he was no pushover. But that didn't change the fact that he was a ditz. A pretty ditz, but a ditz.

And she hadn't missed the way the messy haired one in the vest had begun tracking her movements the moment she'd started to stand up. He had good instincts and seemed to be the most reasonable of the lot. That didn't stop him from missing the most basic survival skill known to man...

She had no clue how to respond to their ridiculous story. So she began to laugh. She laughed so hard that her sides ached and she began snorting in a rather unladylike manner.

As her chuckling died down, the confused looks they were giving her made her break down all over again.

She had to give it to the trio, they were oddly endearing. Who knew, she might even stick with them after she got through this mess. God knew they couldn't be any worse than her last crew...

"Anyway," Viccy said over the sound of Priscilla's hysterics. "Do we have a plan that isn't 'get over there and punch things?'"

"Awww," Leon said. "Is little Viccy scared of a few Marines?"

Viccy attempted to kick Leon off the roof, succeeding only in leaving a boot print on his jeans. "I'm not scared of them," he said. "I just respect the men in uniform is all."

"You shouldn't," Priscilla said, finally managing to get herself together. "Not these guys at least."

"I feel like you're not telling us something," Ollie said.

Priscilla's eyes began to glow slightly again, and she scowled as she looked at the marines scuttling about. "They're part of Owen's crew."

"Yeah... I don't know who that is," Leon said.

Priscilla rolled her eyes. In the South Blue, people tended to live their lives under the shade of the same trees, day in and day out. She was used to dealing with clueless bumpkins, but these guys were on a different level.

"Red Spear Owen. One of the few marines to still follow the code of Absolute Justice. He and his crew are scum. People lock their doors and are afraid to go outside wherever he docks. He's the big one screaming his head off down there."

All of them trained their eyes on the Marine that Priscilla pointed out.

Leon whistled. Owen was indeed big. He had to be at least 7 feet tall and was encased in thick armor. He was wearing a simple helmet that completely covered his face.

Leon pointed at the large navy frigate that was moored on the other side of the dock, only a few hundred meters away from the Maiden. "Speaking of docking, was that ship there when we got here?"

"It's been there for a week dumbass," Priscilla said. "How do you miss a ship that size? It's not like there are any others around here."

"It was kind of hard to concentrate on anything when we got here," Leon said, abashed.

Priscilla shook her in consternation. "Unbelievable."

"So this Owen guy..." Viccy said. "Would he happen to be-"

"Yeah. He's the captain I fucked up," she said, a sadistic grin creeping over her face that made her look more than a little unhinged. Even Ollie couldn't suppress a shudder.

"Right... I'll have to ask you to never smile like that again," Viccy said.

"It's just a good memory. His idea of justice has ruined a lot of lives. I was just being Karma's messenger," she said, chuckling. "You should have heard the squeals."

"You're going to have to tell us the story eventually, you know," Viccy said. "Just leave the squealing part out..."

Priscilla was beginning to grow uncomfortable. She knew that the truth would out itself eventually, but she wasn't sure as to how the others would react. "You three wouldn't just leave me here right?"

"Of course not," Leon said. "We'd starve out there without you."

"I never actually agreed to that, you know," she said. "I'm not a maid. This sword isn't for show."

"We don't need you to actually cook for us," Viccy said. "Just teach Ollie how to do it. He'll take it from there."

"Why me?" Ollie said. "Why can't we all take turns?"

"You're the genius aren't you? Besides, captain's orders."

"Learn how to make sandwiches first," Leon said.

Priscilla watched the proceedings with an air of wonder. It was obvious how close these three were. Would they be that friendly with her one day? Actual companionship was something that had been completely missing from her life the past year. But there was still a hurdle that had to be crossed.

"Ok fine. We'll all take turns until we find an actual cook to join us," Viccy was saying. "Agreed?"

His friends nodded in assurance, and he turned back to Priscilla, who still seemed a bit unsure. "If you're still worried, then I personally promise I won't leave you behind, no matter what. Pirates Honor."

"Pirates don't have honor," she said.

"Well, these do."

"Can we even say that yet?" Ollie said. "Sure we said we're pirates, but we don't even have a Jolly Roger, or a crew name, or... crimes..."

"That'll come with time Fuzz," Leon said. "You gotta take these things one step at a time."

"Just go ahead and say your piece, Doc," Viccy said.

The young woman braced herself and began to speak. "You're looking at former Marine Corpsman First Class Cutter of the South Blue Auxiliary Division," she said, refusing to meet their eyes. "I served on Owen's ship until a few days ago."

All was quiet for several seconds, as the girl looked down at her feet and began to fidget.

As was his habit, Ollie was the one to break the silence. "Is that it? There has to be more, right?"

"Come on. Don't leave us hanging," Leon said.

Priscilla felt a pleasant jolt in her heart. For the first time since she had met them, she was thankful for the boys' ignorance.

Owen's crew was reviled and feared throughout the South Blue. The time she had spent with them had, in a word, sucked. Really, really badly. She had cursed whatever powers had gotten her assigned to his ship several times a day since her enlistment.

Even if they hadn't heard of Owen, people around the world still held a deep distrust of the Marines, despite Fleet Admiral Coby's attempts to restructure the organization. When the World Revolution ended, hundreds of years worth of suppressed information had been released, detailing nearly every questionable act the Marines had performed since their creation. Needless to say, the people hadn't been very happy.

Nowadays, simply saying that you were a marine invited cold glares and hushed whispers. Most people that were willing to put up with that genuinely wanted to do some good in the world. Most people didn't include Owen and his crew.

They were a relic from a bygone era, and they were clawing and biting on their way out.

"I used to be a Whitecoat. You understand that right?" she said.

"And I used to be afraid of lions," Viccy said, shrugging his shoulders. "Things change."

"Let me guess. You got fed up with that Owen guy, messed him up, and you've been on the run ever since?" Ollie said.

"Well. Yeah. That sounds about right," she said.

"I was hoping for something a bit more interesting."

The young woman had to admit, she was more than a little moved. All pretense fell away, and she smiled genuinely at the trio. "Sorry to disappoint you, Fuzzy."

For the three young men, looking at her face without a sneer plastered on it was a bit disconcerting. Leon cleared his throat, his cheeks dusted a little red. "So that means it's fine to just go over there and punch them, right?" he said.

"It won't be that simple," Ollie said. "That frigate of theirs will probably follow us on the way out."

"The maiden can handle one measly ship," Leon said.

"That's not the issue, Blondie," Priscilla said, her usual sneer back in place. "That ship has transponder snails set to the Marine frequencies. They'll send out our positions before following us. And last I heard, Hans was in the area."

The silence was palpable. Viccy was the only one that seemed unaffected by the name. "Hans? You mean  _ _the__ Hans?" Ollie said.

"At least you know  _his_  name," she said, rolling her eyes.

"Who wouldn't have heard of him. The guy's a legend," Leon said.

"Mind filling me in?" Viccy said.

"3rd Marine Admiral Hans the Hazy," Priscilla said. "Let's just say that if you really want to be a pirate, you need to avoid him."

"Ok, so take out the comms equipment, then get the hell out of here," Leon said. "Sounds simple."

"Of course it does, when you say it like that," Priscilla said. "Even Fuzzy could probably put up a fight against the grunts down there with all those weird weapons he has under his clothes. But we wouldn't be able to get on board the frigate before they send a distress signal."

Ollie seemed horrified. "How do you know about those?"

Priscilla grinned, an evil light coming into her eye that looked as if it belonged there. "I told you Fuzzy, these eyes see all."

"No way," Viccy said. "You don't mean-"

"Oh yes I do," she said.

Viccy and Ollie jumped back, curling their knees up to their chins and trying to expose as little of themselves as possible, while the young woman looked on in amusement.

"Not fucking cool!" Viccy hissed.

"What's the problem?" Leon said, his eyebrows crinkled in confusion.

"She can see through clothes!"

All was silent for several seconds before Leon finally spoke. "So?"

"SO?!" Viccy said. "Have you no shame, Bimbo?"

Leon grinned and stood up as straight as he could. "It's not like there's anything I don't want her to see. You got something to hide Spice?"

Priscilla began to giggle. "I can't  _actually_  see through clothes. It's just a kind of x-ray vision. Your innocence is safe with me."

Viccy and Ollie glared at her as they stood up slowly, still feeling more than a little violated. Priscilla pretended to ignore them.

"Why can't we just sink the ship and get it over with?" Leon said.

"And how would we do that, genius?" she said.

Leon and Ollie both turned to Viccy. He looked confused for a moment before realizing what they were implying. "Oh! I can fly over it and set it on fire."

"You can... What?" Priscilla said.

"Heh. Just watch."

"What about Owen?" Ollie said.

"We don't have to worry about him. The guy's bark is leagues bigger than his bite," Priscilla said.

"A bite from a dog that size would still hurt," Ollie said.

Priscilla grinned and patted the sword at her back. "Just stay behind me if you're scared, Fuzzy."

"I'm not afraid. I'm just saying, not all of us can disappear in a blur and smash boulders with our bare hands."

"No point in waiting then," Viccy said. "The moment that frigate goes up, all of you rush the docks. I'll handle the big guy."

He transformed into his hybrid form, taking off and leaving a wide-eyed Priscilla in his wake.

"WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT?!"

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

Private First Class Suki of the Marine Frigate  _ _URS Wildcat__ was having a very bad day. First of all, their captain hadn't been too happy when they told him that they'd let Cutter escape from the diner.

Honestly, none of them had been too keen on finding her anyway. They had all seen what her blade had done to Owen's face, and nobody wanted to share that fate, including Suki. Not that it didn't serve Owen right. He had told Owen to not trust the woman from the beginning.

On top of that, mere minutes after they had broken the news to him, reports of an unregistered ship had arrived from the docks, which could only mean pirates. They had all rushed there, only to discover that half a squad of marines had been rendered unconscious simply attempting to board the damn thing. The deviants had apparently rigged it with all kinds of booby traps, none of which they'd been able to bypass.

Captain Owen was currently verbally abusing anyone that came into range.

"Rough day, huh," another nearby private said.

"You got that right. I've never seen Owen this pissy." Suki said.

"Ha. I'd be pissed too if I were him. He's never gonna live down what that bitch did to him."

"That doesn't mean he has to take it out on us. There's plenty of yokels around here for him to beat up on."

The private grinned and gestured to the fresh squad attempting to board the ship. Their efforts ended when the gangplank closed and catapulted the entire squad into the water on the other side of the ship. "Look on the bright side. At least you're not them, and there's no way this could get any worse."

"Ugh. Famous last words," said Suki, chuckling to himself.

As he quieted down, a strange background noise made itself known to him. A whistling trill, like a falling mortar shell.

"You hear that?" he said.

"Hear wha-"

The private was cut off as the Wildcat erupted into flames. Suki gaped as the few sailors that had been aboard scrambled over the sides.

Moments later, Marines began flying through the air from the direction of the street. Whatever it was that was plowing its way through them, it was obviously trying to get to the pirate ship.

Suki turned to his fellow private, who was standing completely dumbfounded.

"This is your fault," he said.

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

Viccy stared at the giant of a man standing in front of him. He had to admit, that red spear strapped to his back did look pretty deadly.

"Who the fuck are you?" Owen said.

Viccy tried to think of something clever to say. Unfortunately, verbal banter had never been his strong suit. So he just ripped off a classic.

"I'm your worst nightmare," he said.

"Yeah, you sure look like one. You some sort of gecko Zoan?"

"I'm still better looking than you even in this form from what I hear. Why don't you go ahead and take that helm-"

Viccy wasn't entirely sure what happened next. One moment he was mocking a seven foot tall Marine Captain, and then he was somehow flying backward into a nearby house.

Screams, profuse swearing, and hurried apologies were heard from inside. As the dust settled, it revealed Viccy standing in front of a Viccy-shaped hole in the wall.

"That was pretty rude," he said. "You didn't even let me fini-"

He was cut off again as a fist slammed into his nose, sending him straight through the same hole in the wall.

"ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?!" shouted an enraged female voice from inside. Another chorus of hurried apologies followed.

Viccy pulled himself out of the hole again, glaring up at his attacker, feeling a sense of unnatural annoyance welling up inside of him. "Look, man," he said. "I didn't want to hurt you too badly, but-"

Yet another massive fist smashed into the top of his head, bending his head forward and cracking the concrete under his feet, closely followed by a kick to the stomach. This time, however, Viccy didn't budge an inch.

"WHY WON'T YOU GO DOWN!" Owen yelled. It was clear that he had never seen anyone take even a single punch from him and remain standing.

"It's because... My friends are counting on me," Viccy said.

Owen was dumbfounded. He almost didn't notice Viccy sniggering. "I'm just kidding. It's cuz you hit like a bitch. Seriously, I know an eight-year-old that hits harder than you."

Viccy then blew a small bit of compressed air from his mouth, aiming it at the man in front of him. Owen was flung backward by the force, tumbling head over heels before righting himself and sliding to a stop near the edge of the docks.

With an angry yell, Owen took the red spear from his back, and he charged towards Viccy. The massive tip gleamed evilly in the light, but Viccy simply crossed his arms and grinned, showcasing his fangs.

Owen didn't know why the Gecko wasn't moving, but he wasn't about to question his luck. He quickly closed the distance and plunged his spear into Viccy's neck with all his strength.

Sparks flew as it made contact with the shiny red scales, and Owen's eyes widened in shock as the blade glanced off harmlessly and buried itself several inches into the concrete.

Viccy's grin didn't fade.

"I'm Viccy Carver," he said, putting his clawed hand close to his face. "One day, folks a lot more important than you will know my name."

He spat a small glob of fire into his hand, setting it alight before closing it into a fist. "And for the record, I'm not a goddamn gecko."

He flung his fist forward into Owen's chest.

The metal armor warped and twisted where it made contact, and Owen was blown backward through the air. He came to a rest almost at the water's edge, where he lay wheezing as several marines rushed towards him.

Viccy huffed and switched back to his normal form. The marines who were still standing after his crew mate's charge to the Maiden gave him a wide berth as he made his way forward. His 3 cohorts were leaned against the railing of the ship, waiting for him.

"Took you long enough, Spicebreath!" Leon yelled as he trudged up the gangplank.

Viccy smirked and spat a bit of blood into the sea. "The asshole made me bite my tongue."

"You guys don't happen to have a washing machine, do you?" Priscilla said as they made their way into the interior.

The marines could do nothing but stare as the ship set sail into the yonder. Some time from now, many of them would brag about being the very first marines to have ever fought Viccy Carver and his crew.

For now, though, most of them were wondering how they were supposed to get out of this backwater town with no ship and no way to contact the fleet.

Onboard the Maiden, Ollie once again said what was on everyone's mind. "So. About lunch..."

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

For all of Priscilla's complaints and assurances back in Pompein that she would  _not_  ever be feeding them anything, she had been surprisingly upbeat as she bustled about the galley, preparing some simple scrambled eggs for the boys to munch on.

They weren't anything special. Just plain old scrambled eggs. You couldn't have guessed just by looking at the boys eat, though. They were scarfing the stuff down as if it were Ambrosia.

She sat down and leaned her head in her hand, watching them eat. The way they virtually inhaled the food was oddly fascinating.

"Ish good Doc," Viccy said.

"Don't talk with your mouth full, Lizardboy," she said. "And this is a one-time thing. I owe you guys. That's all."

"Aw you gonna shtay withuth?" Leon said.

"Did you not hear what I just said? Swallow the damn food," she said. "That's gross."

Leon obliged and repeated his question. "Are you gonna stay with us?"

This was a question she had been pondering herself since they'd left Pompein. "It's not like I have anywhere else to go. So yeah. I'll stick with you. For now."

"I was kind of hoping to get a cook first. But a doctor's fine too I guess," Viccy said.

Priscilla glared at him. "I  _could_  still kick your scaly ass if you annoy me too much, you know."

Viccy smirked and patted his stomach. "You wish, Doc. Did you not see what happened back there. That scaly ass of mine is impervious to all things stabby or slicey."

She grinned maliciously and took the nodachi from her back, laying it on the table in front of her. "Impervious to that shitty spear of Owen's maybe. But Deuce here is special."

"You named your sword Deuce?" Leon snorted.

"It's short for Caduceus. And I didn't name her. She's had that name for centuries."

"One of the Meito?" Ollie asked, surprised.

She smiled as she pulled the sword from its sheath, showing it to the trio. "Not just any Meito. Caduceus is one of the 12 Supreme swords."

Ollie's jaw dropped could almost be heard hitting the table. "Where did you get it?"

The young woman only grinned. "I like you Fuzzy. But that story's kind of personal. Maybe I'll tell you down the road somewhere."

Viccy and Leon looked completely lost.

"My toe? I feel like I've heard that somewhere," Viccy said.

"Oh for the love of-" Priscilla said, scowling at him and wondering how anybody could be so clueless. "Famous swords. With names. That's all there is to it. And Deuce being one of the best, I doubt those pretty scales of yours could stop her. We could test it out right now if you want."

Usopp's words ran through Viccy's head.  _ _Don't start relying solely on that fruit of yours or you'll be in trouble before long.__

"Yeah... I think I'll pass," he said, his face drained of color.

"Good choice," Priscilla said.

Leon finished off his plate and leaned back in his chair, letting out a contented sigh. "So. What did you name that flaming punch of your yours?" he said to Viccy.

"What?"

"Come on man. You have to name your attacks. It's what sets you apart from the grunts."

Viccy couldn't have been more confused. "I call it setting my hand on fire and then punching things with it..."

"Lame," Priscilla said.

"What's lame is that I'm expected to name stuff like that!"

Even Ollie joined in, chipping in his own two berries. "They're right you know. You can't be a famous pirate and not have cool attack names."

"Oh for fuck's sake. Fine. I'll call it... Flaming Fist?"

"Too generic," Leon said.

"Fire Fist?"

"That's taken," Priscilla said.

"Piercing Flame?"

"Too edgy. You can do better," Ollie said.

"The Hot Hand?"

"Attaboy," Priscilla said. "That'll do fine."

Viccy rolled his eyes. "Just don't expect me to yell it out when I use it..."

"But that's the best part!" Leon said.

Maddy interrupted them over the intercom. "Our course is fully set for Icewick Isle. ETA 1 week."

"Holy shit!" Priscilla said. "This thing talks?"


	7. A Sense of Adventure

The crew of the Iron Maiden stared at the island in the distance. They had to admit, it was rather impressive to behold. The tree covered mountains that seemed to comprise most of it were massive, and a gentle coating of mist added a bit of elegance to the otherwise imposing scene.

"It's a lot bigger than I thought it would be," Ollie said.

"So... Why are we here?" Leon asked.

"Do you really have to ask..." Priscilla said, glaring at him and turning a bit red.

"This ship wasn't stocked with anything a woman would need when we left," Ollie said. "Plus, Cilla's clothes are starting to sm-"

"Icewick Isle contains several isolated towns, all ruled over by a Petty King of the Alard Dynasty," Maddy said over the sound of Ollie choking. "All of them are inland though, so you lazy bums will have to walk."

"Those mountains are probably chilly," Leon said. "You'll have to borrow one of my dusters, Cilla."

"As long as it isn't leather," she said, slinging Ollie's unconscious form over her shoulder.

"You do realize that he's the one paying for all your stuff right..." Viccy said.

"So?" she said. "The brat should be grateful that he's getting a free ride."

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

"Hey, Doc," Viccy said. "Go ahead and wake Ollie up. He's gonna want to see this."

Viccy was in awe as he walked onto a massive rock that jutted straight over a cliff. It must have at least been a full kilometer over the sea below.

The view was absolutely breathtaking. The heavily forested mountains stretched so far into the distance that the ones in the rear were almost completely obscured by mist. Viccy could see the Maiden in the distance, the normally formidable ship appearing as small and harmless as an ant.

For the first time in his life, Viccy began to feel a true sense of adventure. Like there was something to be found out there, something that was worth finding.

"Woah," Leon said as he saddled up beside him.

"Woah," Viccy agreed.

"That was unnecessarily violent," Ollie said as he stepped onto the rock, rubbing his neck.

"Your social ineptitude is what's violent, Fuzzy," Priscilla said. "There are some things you just don't say to a lady."

"Aren't ladies supposed to be polite and serene?" Ollie said.

Priscilla glared at him. She probably would have smacked him, if they weren't so high in the air. "You never learn, do you..." she said, as they both stopped at the edge of the jutting rock.

Being no stranger to breathtaking vistas, the scene didn't have quite the same effect on her as it did for the others. Still, she wasn't completely immune to the majesty. "Get a load of that," she said.

"It's... nice," Ollie said.

The doctor simply smirked at him and ruffled his afro. While he had a habit of making the occasional stinging remark, she found his attitude refreshing. Whereas members of her old crew were blunt to one another with the intent of being cruel, the fuzzball was blunt simply because he didn't know any better.

Her thoughts then drifted into slightly more worrisome territory. She knew that they all planned to go to the Grand Line, but she wondered if the other two understood how vulnerable their youngest crew mate was compared to them. Although she knew that Blondie and the Lizardboy could take care of themselves, she somehow doubted that either of the goofballs currently gaping at the mountains could reliably fulfill the role of a protector. She wasn't one for maternal instincts, never having received many herself, but if there was nobody else to do it...

Her attention suddenly snapped back to her surroundings, her hackles raised as she felt something out of place. She turned around, switching her vision to infrared, immediately spotting human forms completely obscured in the leaves.

"Hey," she said to the others.

"Hmmm?" Viccy asked, snapping out of his reverie.

"We've got company," she said. "Ten of them in the trees about 100 meters away. Don't bother looking for them. They're well hidden."

"They armed?" Leon asked.

"Mostly old flintlocks. One of them has a bazooka," she said, moving her hand up to her nodachi. "You ready?"

"Woooaaah there Doc," Viccy said, placing a hand on her shoulder. "We can't just go and assault the natives for looking at us."

"Well what do you suggest?" she said. "Those guns are old, but a bullet is a bullet. And three of us aren't bulletproof."

"Let's just ask them what they want..." Viccy said.

"Yeah, cuz that  _always_  ends well," she grumbled. Nevertheless, she lowered her hands from the hilt of her blade and cupped them over her mouth.

"Hey!" she yelled. "You lot in the trees! We know you're there! Get your asses out here!"

Viccy couldn't resist the urge to facepalm. "I was hoping for something a little more diplomatic..." he said.

"I don't do  _ _diplomatic__ ," she said.

"I figured that out about 10 seconds after meeting you..." Viccy said. He trained his gaze on the group that was cautiously making their way out of the trees. Priscilla's eyes certainly were a wonder, and not just aesthetically. There were ten of them, all armed.

The natives made their way up to the four. They were obviously wary of the strangers, but none of them did anything particularly threatening. All of them were dressed in camouflage. Other than that, they appeared to be average South Blue inhabitants.

"How did you see us?" the one with the bazooka asked.

"That doesn't matter. What does matter is why the hell you bozos were stalking us," Priscilla said. Viccy nudged her in the side.

"What my friend here so eloquently implied is why ten armed people were watching us from the trees. We're not really used to a fanfare. Is this normal for this island?" Viccy said.

"Do you know where you are, brat?" another one of the watchers, a woman this time, said as she moved up to the bazooka man's side.

"The Icewick Isle in the South Blue. We're not planning on staying here long," Viccy said, his eyes narrowing. He was seriously hoping to avoid a confrontation, but if it came down to it, his friends' safety came first. The doctor definitely had one thing right. The others weren't bulletproof. Then again, he wondered if he could pull off his transformation before the first round was fired.

A long pause followed as the two groups stared each other down. The tension was almost palpable, and several of the watchers cocked their flintlocks. The man with the bazooka was the first to speak.

"You pirates?" he asked. Viccy had to take a moment to answer this one. In the corner of his eye, he saw Leon's hands inch towards his holsters, and Priscilla pretended to scratch her cheek with the intent of moving her hand towards her sword's hilt. He himself began his transformation, scales forming around his heart and spreading outwards, concealed by his clothes.

"Kinda," he said simply. Another long silence. The bazooka man turned his head to the woman beside him. Nothing was said, but the man turned back towards them as if a decision had been reached.

"Go about your business. But finish it quickly," he said. "This island is going to start changing real fast, real soon, so keep your heads down and don't trust anyone. That goes double for the Loyalists."

He gestured to his followers, and they began walking away without another word.

Priscilla stared at his retreating form, her hand not leaving the vicinity of her hilt until they disappeared back into the trees.

"What a bunch of assholes," she said.

"What the hell was that?" Leon said.

"I'm guessing an impending revolution. Maybe a corrupt monarchy. The works..." Viccy said.

"We should probably follow their advice. Finish our business and leave," Ollie said. "Whatever's going on around here, it's not our problem."

"There's a trail nearby," Priscilla said. "I can see it from here."

"Then let's get going," Viccy said. They all followed Priscilla down the mountain, hoping that nothing too noteworthy would happen during their time on the island.

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

Viccy didn't know what he had been expecting, but an entire town hidden in the treetops was certainly low on the list. Much less a modern town complete with electricity, elevators, and shops of all different kinds. The buildings were nestled atop sturdy platforms built onto the trees themselves, and connected via ornate iron bridges. The people themselves were all dressed in expensive looking clothes, and walking exotic looking pets. The whole place looked pretty high class.

Their little group stood out a lot more than he would have liked, though the stares they were attracting were more curious than hostile.

It probably wasn't every day that an armed-to-the-teeth cowboy and a girl with a sword strapped to her back that was almost as big as she was wandered into their town. The wide-eyed looks the group was casting around everywhere must have been pretty amusing too.

"This place is nuts," Leon said. "Get a load of that statue." He gestured to a massive wooden figure, carved out of what looked like an entire tree, sitting directly beside one of the bridges. It was shaped in the likeness of a woman, although time had rendered most of her features unrecognizable. Leon reached out and touched it as he passed by.

"Quit it, Bimbo," Viccy said. "You don't know what that thing is."

"It's just a statue," Leon said.

"It might be cursed. Or the body of martyr that turned to wood. or-"

"Hey. You there!" A voice called out, cutting Viccy off.

The 4 turned to see a small group of what were obviously soldiers heading their way. Unlike the motley crew that they had met on the way there, these were fully equipped with modern weapons. All of them were donned in shiny silver armor that looked more than a little impractical. The soldiers glared at them as they approached. One of them, whose armor was particularly shiny, spoke.

"Touching a statue of Ragnara is outlawed across the island," he said.

"An ancient idol that you're not allowed to touch would have been my third choice..." Viccy said.

"You four aren't from around here," the man said.

"Real observant there, Tin can," Priscilla said.

"What she meant to say," Viccy said, a vein popping out on his forehead, "was that no, we are not from around here. We're just here to buy a few things, and then we'll be on our way." The soldiers stared at them. Finally, the tin can spoke again.

"You pirates?" he said.

"Oh for fuck's sake," Priscilla said, rubbing her temples.

Viccy pondered what to do. The ragtag group they'd encountered in the mountains had been one thing. But somehow, he felt that admitting to being outlaws to these official looking gentlemen probably wouldn't go over as well.

"We're sailors," he finally said. The soldiers inspected them even more. Finally, the Tincan spoke again.

"Don't touch the big statues. Finish your business and get out of here. The island isn't very presentable right now," he said, turning around. "And watch out for turncoats. They've been getting bolder lately."

Eventually, the soldiers were lost in the crowd.

"What the hell..." Leon said.

"We really should hurry up and leave," Ollie said. The group of four began moving once again.

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

Viccy looked apprehensively at the shop in front of him. As far as women's commodity stores went, this was definitely one of the more intimidating looking ones, and every cell in his body screamed at him to stay away. Rows of expensive looking baubles lined the windows, enough to make even Ollie cringe a bit, and the entire place smelled strongly of perfume, even from the outside.

"Do you actually expect us to go in there?" Viccy said.

"Obviously. Who else is gonna carry all my stuff?" Priscilla said.

Viccy's natural pack mule instincts kicked in, honed through years of being an only son. He found himself shuffling along behind Priscilla, not even bothering to utter a single word of the protest that was raging silently in his mind.

Leon and Ollie were immediately given a list of essentials and sent off to find them, while Viccy found himself drafted into Manstand duty. He spent his time fervently trying to avoid looking at anyone or anything.

"Hey Liz," Priscilla called, getting Viccy's attention. She held up a bright red dress to herself and turned around for Viccy to see. "What do you think?"

Viccy was confused. He had no clue what she was even asking. "It's a dress?" he inflected. Priscilla's eyes narrowed.

"Obviously... I was asking if you thought it would look good on me," she said.

Viccy's face visibly drained of color. He had heard his Ma ask his Old Man something along these lines several times, usually when she was in a bad mood, and it  _never_  ended well for him.

"Please don't do this to me," he pleaded.

Priscilla rolled her eyes. "Why do I even bother," she said, turning back to the racks.

Viccy attempted to return to his impersonation of a mannequin. He would have gotten away with it too if it hadn't been for the massive explosion that rattled the entire platform. Viccy's hopes of leaving without a hitch were washed down the drain as the screaming from the people in the store drowned out his thoughts.

"What the fuck was that?" Viccy heard Leon yell from across the store. Moments later, the blond rushed up to them, with Ollie hot on his heels.

Viccy had to admit, the sight of the normally reserved Ollie hoofing it towards them as if his life depended on it was pretty funny, even under these circumstances. Especially since he hadn't bothered the drop the several bottles of shampoo he had been carrying.

"Should we take a look?" Leon said when he reached them.

"I feel like this situation is going to fall on our heads no matter what we do..." Viccy said.

"I'll take that as a yes," Leon said, leading the way outside.

The moment they stepped out into the sunlight, they heard a familiar voice yelling.

"There they are! Those were the ones messing with the statue!" Viccy turned his head towards the voice.

It was the Tincan that had warned Leon not to mess with the Ragnarona thingies, and he was accompanied by his men, with even more shiny soldiers popping up every second.

Viccy then turned his head towards the statue, or where it should have been at least. The blasted thing was completely gone, a trail of smoke leading from where it had been not 5 minutes ago.

"Of fucking course..." Viccy said.

"We should probably get out of here," Ollie said.

"Are you really a genius?" Priscilla said, grabbing Ollie by the waist and slinging him under her armpit.

The crew booked it to the sound of Tincan screaming a cliched "After them!"

Viccy didn't know how the soldiers managed to run so fast in that stupid armor they were wearing, but it was taking a lot longer than he would have liked to shake the shiny bastards. Fortunately for them, they refrained from firing with all the civilians still around.

Eventually though, the weight of the more than 40 kilograms of armor that they wore began to slow the soldiers. "I don't think we'll catch them, sir," one of them huffed to Tincan.

"Not with that attitude, we won't," Tincan said.

"Sir, it might be best to look for an alternative solution," another huffing soldier said.

"What are you suggesting?" Tincan said.

"What if we sent  _it_  after them."

Tincan's eyes took on an evil gleam. They almost never got to set  _it_  loose. Mostly because every time they did, it cost millions of berries worth of property damage.

He was sure the King would understand, though.

He ordered a halt and turned to his soldiers. "Send a message through the snails. Tell them to release Spiffy!"

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

"You think we lost them?" Leon said as they walked along the forest floor.

"No," Viccy said. "They're planning something. I don't know what the hell happened back here, but we need to get off this rock. We can buy your stuff at the next stop, Doc."

"Never a dull moment with you three, eh," Priscilla said.

"You mind putting me down, Cilla?" Ollie said. The young woman still hadn't released her death grip around his waist.

She looked a little reluctant, but she obliged.

"Next time, don't go around rubbing your hands on the local's stuff Leon," Ollie said, dusting himself off.

"How was I supposed to know somebody was gonna blow the damn thing up?!" he yelled.

"Hold on," Viccy said. "Do you hear that?"

"No," Leon said. "The rest of us don't have  _m_ _ _agical dragon senses__ _, S_ pice." He waved his hands in the air for emphasis.

It didn't take Viccy long to figure out what he was sensing. Something absolutely gargantuan was coming their way, and it couldn't have been more than a couple of kilometers behind them.

"What the hell," Priscilla said, looking at the ground, which was visibly beginning to tremble. She began swiveling her head around, looking for the cause of the disturbance. As she looked behind them, her eyes widened, and her mouth dropped open in shock.

"Run!" she yelled, grabbing Ollie and slinging him under her arm yet again.

The other two didn't need to be told twice. Anything that could freak out the doctor that badly was definitely something that they didn't want to see first hand.

They only moved a few hundred meters before realizing it was futile. Whatever it was on their tail was gaining ground fast. Viccy and Leon looked at each other, each knowing what the other was thinking.

"Doc!" Viccy yelled. "We're not gonna outrun this thing."

Priscilla turned to him, an inkling already forming in her head of what he was getting at. "Are you  _ _insane__!?"

"Just get Ollie out of here!" he yelled. "You're the fastest out of the three of us! We'll meet you back at the ship when we take care of this thing!"

"Don't I get an opinion in this?!" Ollie yelled.

"Take care of it?!" she yelled, ignoring Ollie. "Do you understand how fucking  _massive_  that thing is? It's heating up half the island!"

"We don't have time for this Doc!" Viccy yelled. The shallow tremors had been replaced by a rhythmic crash. Whatever it was, it had plenty of legs...

Priscilla was torn. She knew that these morons were tough, but this creature was definitely not something you'd find in any of the Blues. It had to have been brought from the Grand Line.

She wasn't sure all three of them combined could take it down. On the other hand,  _someone_  had to get the fuzzball out of here.

"Just... don't get fucked up too badly," she said. "I'm not a miracle worker!"

"Hey! Hold on!" Ollie yelled. "You can't just-" The rest of Ollie's words were drowned out in a massive crash as rocks the size of houses were sent careening off a nearby cliff. The beast was close.

Viccy and Leon turned to face it, while Ollie could only stare in horror as his friends' backs faded into the distance, unable to even wriggle in Priscilla's iron grasp.

Leon took the rifle from his back and began loading it with rounds from his bandolier.

"You ready Bimbo?" Viccy asked as his face lengthened and wings sprouted from his back.

"Not really," he said, cocking the lever action. "You think maybe we should have asked Cilla what this thing was?"

Viccy's eye twitched a bit. That  _would_  have been what any intelligent person would have done...

"Too late now," he said. "It'll be here in 3...2...1..."

The beast burst through the forest, bowling over several trees in the process. Viccy ogled the creature.

As far as hulking monsters went, this had to be one of the derpier looking ones he had seen. Then again, he didn't have much to compare it to.

It looked like an awkward cross between a scorpion and a house cat. Viccy would have thought it was cute if it weren't for the fact that it was six stories tall and sported nasty looking claws bigger than his entire body.

Any sense of danger for the two young men flew out of the window within moments. The creature had been legging it as fast as it could towards them, and anything that size barreling around at 100kph was bound to pick up a lot of momentum. As it was, the creature attempted to slam the brakes the moment it saw the pair.

The sight of the massive thing rolling around head over heels, yowling its head off and squashing a huge swath of forest in the process, was something that Viccy would never forget.

"They sent  _this_  thing after us?" Leon said.

"Watch yourself," Viccy said. "It's still dangerous."

" _Dangerous_?" Leon said, beginning to laugh. " _Look at the damn thing!_ "

The thing in question was currently attempting to stand up, which was made difficult due to the fact that it's eight legs kept getting tangled up on themselves. Viccy had to admit, it was pretty funny.

"What's it going to do? Run into us by accident?" Leon said, still chuckling. "Let's get this over with and get back to the Maiden."

Leon's mood was infectious, and Viccy found himself beginning to grin.

 _ _What's so dangerous about an overgrown cat anyways?__ He thought to himself.

The creature finally managed to struggle to its feet. As it looked in their direction, and Viccy could have sworn it almost looked embarrassed. It shook itself off and advanced towards them, before breaking into a sprint.

Leon raised his rifle and took aim, a smile on his lips.

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

Viccy woke up with a start. The first thing he noticed was that he couldn't see a thing.

The next thing he noticed was the pain. There wasn't a single part of his body that didn't ache. He let out a groan and tried to curl up on his side, only to discover that his arms were cuffed above his head.

"Look who's finally awake," Leon said from somewhere beside him.

"What happened?" Viccy groaned out. There was a long pause after he said it. "Leon?"

"It ran into us..." Leon said.

"What?"

"Don't make me say it again. I shot it in the toe and it tripped and plowed straight into us. Next thing I know, I'm waking up in a fucking dungeon. WHO THE HELL STILL KEEPS A DUNGEON IN THIS DAY AND AGE?!"

"So what you're saying is, this is technically your fault," Viccy said, smirking. Even in a situation like this, he couldn't resist the urge to needle the blond. A man had to have his priorities straight after all.

Leon grimaced, but didn't say anything to the contrary.

Viccy's eyes began to adjust to the dim room. Leon wasn't lying. It was definitely a dungeon. It even had old, bloodstained torture equipment safely stashed in the next cell over, along with a couple of decorative old skeletons laying about to complete the image.

"Ugh," Viccy said. "My whole body hurts. And I can barely move. How hard did that thing hit us?"

"Gee. A thousand ton monster ramming into us at sprinting speed... I wonder..." Leon said. Viccy had no comeback for that one.

"We need to get out of here," Leon said. "Cilla and Ollie are probably worried."

"The Doc's never gonna let us hear the end of this one," Viccy said, sitting up straight in preparation. "Hold on, I'll melt these cuffs off." He opened his mouth and attempted to spit out acid.

The only thing he succeeded in was launching a massive loogie that slowly dripped down off the cuffs and onto his hands.

"What's the holdup Spice."

"I can't do it," Viccy said. His mind was in a jumble. This was the first time he had simply  _not_  been able to use his devil fruit powers.

"What? Why?" Leon said, jerking up.

"They're seastone cuffs," a mellow, feminine voice said. "You're not getting out of this one boys."

Both young men looked around for the source of the voice, only to both yell out and nearly jump out of their skins at the sight of a woman less than a meter away, staring at them through the bars of their cell.

Even in the dim light, Viccy could tell that she was a beauty. Her red hair was a bit messy, reaching almost to the middle of her back, and her large silver eyes were kind and expressive. She looked to be in her late twenties and was carrying a plain looking satchel on her shoulder.

"How'd you do that?" Leon asked. The woman grinned, and her eyes took on a mischievous glint.

"Do what?" she said, innocently.

"You just appeared there!" he said.

"I've been here the whole time."

"No, you weren't."

"I can assure you that I was." Leon's face was beginning to turn purple in frustration, while the woman was obviously trying not to laugh.

"Who are you?" Viccy asked, interrupting the two. The woman turned to him and scanned him up and down before she simply turned around and began walking away from them and out of sight.

For a moment Viccy thought that she had left, until she came back carrying a chair. She planted it down in front of their cell, sat down and leaned forward.

"I'm Adelphie," she said, reaching into her satchel and pulling out a small notebook. Her eyes almost sparkled with excitement. "You two are pirates, aren't you?"

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

Priscilla glared into the jungle, feeling more annoyed than anything else.

If the distant rumbles had been any indication, the fight had ended almost 15 minutes ago and only lasted a few seconds. She assumed the boys had somehow managed to stop the monster, as the massive heated cloud that had marked its progress was now staying in one place and all the tremors had long since stopped.

So what was taking them so long? A smidgen of worry wormed its way into her mind.

She looked over at Ollie, who was sitting in the sand next to the small boat they had landed in. He still hadn't said a word to her. That was fine. The fuzzball could be as pouty as he wanted to be as long as he was alive.

Priscilla sat down on the other side of the boat, and they continued to wait in silence for almost half an hour. Eventually, Priscilla had to accept it.

"They're not coming," she said.

Ollie simply glared at her. He finally broke his silence. "I hope you're not suggesting-"

"Of course I'm not, idiot," she said, standing up and brushing the sand off the borrowed duster. "Come on," she said, leading the way into the forest.

Ollie didn't need to be asked twice. He brain was whirling as they walked through the underbrush. He honestly didn't know what to make of the young woman at the moment. Why was she doing any of this? While he was sure that beneath the violent and snide exterior she was a good person, she'd only known them for a little over a week. That definitely shouldn't be enough time to warm up to someone enough to risk your life for them.

Priscilla looked over at him and smiled knowingly as if she were reading his mind.

"You haven't been at sea very long Fuzzy," she said, slinging one of her arms around his shoulder and pulling him closer "One of the first things you learn out here is that a crew should be nothing less than a family. Someone very important to me taught me that. I wasn't able to find what I was looking for with the Marines, but I'm kind of hoping to find it here. Besides, I doubt that ship of yours will go anywhere without those two."

"Well, I wouldn't know," Ollie said. "I've never had a family."

Priscilla's smile turned into a wide and genuine grin, causing Ollie's face to heat up involuntarily.

"Well," she said, ruffling his hair. "Like it or not, you do now."


	8. The Lucio Brothers and the Chronicler

"That's something you don't see every day," Ollie said.

"Or a lifetime," Priscilla said.

The two looked on as a pack of armor-clad men swarmed around a recently cleared area of the forest. They seemed to be attempting to rouse the strange monster that Priscilla had seen chasing them. Most people wouldn't notice the finer details, but from the what Priscilla could gather, it had somehow managed to run headfirst into a cliffside and knock itself unconscious.

"We should get closer," Ollie said, beginning to creep forward. "They might mention what happened to-"

"There's no need," Priscilla said, grabbing the hood of Ollie's sweater. "You saw what happened right?"

"Er... no. I didn't," Ollie said, the smallest amount of confusion evident in the boy's eyes.

"I'm not talking to you Fuzzy," she said. "I mean those idiots in the trees to the left that still think they can hide from me."

All was silent for several seconds until a voice was heard nearby.

"That really is uncanny, Girl."

The leader of the band they had first encountered seemed to materialize next to them, nearly giving Ollie a heart attack. The rest of his gang followed shortly, including the woman that appeared to be his second in command.

Priscilla just scowled in response. "Look hotshot. I'm running low on patience for this damned island and everybody on it. So if you could skip the chatter and tell me what happened to those two numbskulls we were with, that would be great."

The woman opened her mouth angrily before the man held out his hand to silence her. She settled for glaring at Priscilla.

"They took your friends to the Royal Keep," the man said.

"Which way is that," Priscilla said.

"Do you plan on storming the place on your own?"

"What's it to you?"

The man looked Priscilla in the eye unflinchingly. "Girl, if it were that easy to get into the place, we would have done it ages ago. It's a fortress guarded by hundreds of Royal Soldiers. And that's not the worst of it."

Priscilla narrowed her eyes. "Where are you going with this..."

The man smiled grimly. "I think we can help each other. The one in the vest called you a doctor, right?"

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

"-and then  _I_  end up getting flung into the water to fish the idiot out," Leon said. "I mean, why me? It's not like I'm the one that shot him down. It's the moron's own fault that he decided to-"

"I'm right fucking here Bimbo," Viccy said. The kick that he aimed at Leon was easily blocked.

"That was pathetic Spice," Leon said. "Like, even more than usual..."

"Shut up," Viccy said, shifting his feet uncomfortably. "It's these cuffs. Do you know how to take these things off, er... Adelphie?"

The woman in question looked at him with amusement in her eyes. She had spent the last half hour listening to Leon's stories, and Viccy having been present for several of them, he knew for a fact that some of the details were stretched in one way or another. Regardless, the woman had continued to scribble in that little notebook of hers the entire time.

"I do," she finally said. There was a long pause as Viccy and Leon waited.

The silence eventually became uncomfortable.

" _Can_  you take them off for us?" Viccy finally said.

"I can," she said. Another uncomfortable silence followed.

"Er-  _Will_  you take them off for us?" He said.

"I won't," she said.

Viccy sighed. "What exactly do you want?"

"I already told you," she said, turning a few pages in her notebook. "I just want to hear about your adventures. It's been so long since anyone came to the island."

"But why?" Viccy said. "If you just wanted to chat then you could have just invited us to a cafe or something. You some sort of storyteller?"

"I prefer the title, Chronicler," the woman said, rolling her eyes. "And actually, you were brought here because you were caught destroying a five-hundred-year-old statue of this island's goddess."

"Oh yeah..." Leon said. "I almost forgot about that."

"We didn't blow up that statue," Viccy said. "We just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time."

"I know," she said. "You bunch just arrived today. Why would you even know what that statue was?"

"Great," Viccy said. "So can we go?"

"No," she said.

Viccy repeatedly smacked the back of his head against the concrete wall in frustration, which hurt a lot more than it usually would have. "Why not? You just said-"

"It's not up to me," she said, her kind eyes darkening. "The Lucios are the ones you want to talk to, but I doubt they'll just let you off."

The sound of footsteps echoing in the hallway drew their attention. Soon enough, several armored soldiers made their way to the cell, including one that the young men recognized immediately.

"It's you!" Viccy said.

Tincan didn't even look at him. Instead, he spoke to Adelphie, who had stood up the moment she had caught sight of them.

"Adelphie," he said. Derision was evident in his tone. "The  _King_  would like a word with the prisoners."

Adelphie didn't budge an inch, returning the mocking tone two-fold. "I bet it takes real pluck for twelve of you to haul around a couple of kids. One of them can barely walk straight."

"I'm not a kid, lady," Leon huffed as the cell door was unlocked. "I'll be nineteen in a few months."

"These 'kids' somehow managed to take down an imported carab cat." Tincan sneered. "They're a lot more than you could handle."

Viccy looked over at Leon, who was conveniently avoiding eye contact.

Adelphie struggled to hide her amusement. She had heard what actually happened straight from the mouth of the blond boy herself. Even if he hadn't known that she was there at the time...

"Is that true?" she asked the boys as they were being pulled out of the cell.

"Yes. Yes, it is," Leon said, his ears turning a delightful shade of red. Viccy couldn't keep from sniggering.

"Well, don't let me keep you from doing your job," she said to Tincan, giving one last glance at the boys before walking away and out of sight.

"Get a move on," Tincan said to Leon as they ushered them down the hall.

The soldiers kept their weapons trained on them as they made their way up a flight of stairs and into a courtyard. Viccy scrunched up his eyes as he stepped into the sunlight.

The place was a fortress. High stone walls surrounded them, and several dozen soldiers could be seen patrolling the walls. At the center of it all was a large stone keep, where they were being ushered. The lack of mountains on the horizon could only mean that the fortress itself was built on the summit of one.

"Should have done what I told you, brats," the Tincan said to them. "Could have avoided all this. Normally we would have killed you where we found you. You're lucky the King took an interest in you."

"Shut up," Leon said. "I'd kick all your asses now if I wasn't cuffed."

A nearby soldier snarled and aimed a rifle butt at his head. For a moment, it seemed like it would connect. Leon's head swerved at the last second, and the soldier was carried forward by his momentum, ending up flat on his face. He stood up red-faced and glaring, while Leon looked away innocently.

"That's enough. We're nearly there," Tincan said as they climbed the steps to the keep and opened the doors.

In stark contrast to the spartan feel of the exterior, the foyer of the keep was lavishly decorated. Expensive looking carpets covered every surface that wasn't shiny, white marble, and draperies hung just about everywhere. A vacant marble throne was placed in the back of the room, behind which was a set of stairs that led to an overlook ringing around the entire room. Exotic looking weapons adorned the walls, ranging from golden sabers to jeweled flintlocks. Above the throne itself, a set of familiar firearms were on display.

"Hey!" Leon yelled. "Those are mine!"

A man came out from behind a column and casually leaned on it. He was opulently dressed in a crisp white suit and a thick fur robe draped arrogantly over his shoulders. Physically, he wasn't much to look at. A plain face, black eyes, and black hair that was beginning to gray.

"I'd be loath to part with them. It's not every day you see a handcrafted Fabroni original. Much less three of them," he said, an amused crinkle in his eye. "But if they're yours, I'd be willing to return them."

"Why were you hiding behind that column?" Viccy said.

The man looked annoyed. "It's called making an entrance, Lad. And it would have been much more effective if you hadn't pointed it out..." He shook his head and locked eyes with them once again. "My name is Aval. My brother and I own this island. Unfortunately, the lazy lout has yet to get out of bed, so you'll have to make do with just me for now. I hear you two took down my carab..."

"Can we please stop mentioning that damned cat?" Leon said.

Aval threw him a politely confused look before proceeding. "Right... Well, I have an offer for you."

"Is it the kind that we can't refuse..." Viccy said.

"Oh. I take it you're the smart one?" Aval said.

"No, this is just really cliché..." Viccy said. "Unless you're planning to take these cuffs off and let us leave this damned island, the answer is no."

"You haven't even heard what I have to say, Lad. I'm sure you know that tensions are rising on this island. War is coming," Aval said. "You're pirates, right? I used to be one as well. Treasure, women, battle. I can give all to you."

"And all we have to do is pledge out undying loyalty to you..." Viccy said, twisting his face into a scowl. "Sorry, not happening. I've never been good at following orders from strangers, and there's something about you that puts my hairs on end."

"We're not for sale," Leon said. "So if you could give me back my guns and show us the door, that would be great."

The man's polite smile faded. Gone was the predictable buffoon they had been dealing with. Something much more sinister took his place.

And then, the predictable buffoon returned."Throw them back in the dungeon," he said. "I'm sure a few days without food or water will make them mull it over a bit more."

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

The dungeon was as dark and damp as when they left. Viccy and Leon had long since abandoned any attempt at conversation. The only sound that could be heard now was the occasional stomach growl. They didn't know exactly how long they had been there, as it was difficult to tell time in the near lightless cell, but it had to have been well past nightfall.

Neither knew how they were going to get out of this one. At this point, Viccy was wondering if they should just bluff their way out by pretending to align themselves with Aval, but the thought of bowing down to the man sent shivers down his spine.

The sensation of a hand clamped over his mouth jerked him out of his thoughts, and he flailed around in a bout of panic, hearing Leon doing the same beside him. As he locked eyes with his attacker, the flash of silver immediately made him relax. It was Adelphie.

"How the hell did you get in here?" Leon hissed the moment the hand was lowered from his mouth.

"I walked in," she said.

"Lady," Viccy said, more than a little miffed himself. "We've only met twice and you've almost given me a heart attack both times."

"That's not important," she said, sitting back against the bars. She looked ridiculously out of place in the dingy cell. There was no excited sparkle or mischievous glint in her gaze now. Just a cold determination, as if she had been planning this moment for ages.

"If you're not going to join the Lucios, then I could get those cuffs off of you," she said. "If you take me with you when you leave that is."

"The Lucios. You mentioned that name before," Leon said. "What gives? Maddy said some family called the Alards were in charge."

Anger flashed in the woman's eyes for a mere instant, before it was replaced by sheer weariness. Such a pained expression didn't suit her.

"It's a long story," she said.

"I guarantee you we won't go anywhere," Viccy said, rattling his cuffs.

Adelphie hesitated for a moment before she reached her hands out and placed one on each pair of cuffs. A strange purple glow filled the air, and when it was over the metal laid warped and twisted, as if it had been melted off. Viccy felt a surge of energy course through him, and many of his pains melted away.

He immediately turned and kicked Leon in the shin, as payback for all the stupid stories he'd told about him while he was weakened and unable to retaliate. The two rolled around on the ground for a few seconds trying to put each other into a headlock. Viccy was just starting to gain the upper hand when Adelphie cleared her throat. They looked up to see her staring at them as if she wasn't sure of what she should do.

Both of them reddened and sat down, looking in her direction. "Waiting on you," Viccy said as if nothing had happened.

The woman's expressive eyes flickered for a moment, fast enough that Viccy and Leon almost missed the brief flash of hope. She curled her knees up to her chin and began her tale.

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

The little redhead looked pleadingly at her older brother, who was refusing to meet her eye. He knew that if he so much as glanced at her out of the fringes of his vision, the battle would be lost. The sensation of a small hand clutching his sleeve tugged at his heartstrings, but he remained steadfast.

"It's almost midnight, Little Bit," he said. "I'll read you another one tomorrow."

"I'd rather you read me one now," she said. "And look me in the eye when I'm talking to you."

The young man relented. Silver met silver, and he sighed. He could never find it in him to deny her. Not when she looked so much like their mother. It was something the crafty six-year-old was quick to take advantage of.

He rolled his eyes before sitting down on the small bed in the girl's room.

"Just one chapter," he said. The little girl's eyes shone with adoration as she climbed into his lap. He reached into the packed bookshelf by the bed, stocked almost entirely with the biographies and chronicles of heroes long dead.

"This one's an account of the fifteenth Queen of Belor, who 700 hundred years ago defended her nation against an enemy that would threaten the world..."

The girl sat enthralled throughout the entire tale, gasping whenever danger presented itself, holding her breath when all seemed lost, and sobbing at the end of the story, where the Queen traded her life for the world.

It took a while for before young man finally managed to get his little sister to stop crying. When the sobs finally subsided, he glanced at his watch and groaned. It was almost 4 in the morning. His father wouldn't be pleased to hear Adelphie had been awake all night again. He pulled the girl off his lap and placed a hand on her head.

"You been practicing?" he asked.

Adelphie brightened up immediately, and she wiped the last of the tears from her cheeks. She didn't say anything. The self-satisfied smirk on her lips was the only answer that was needed as she raised her hand. An unearthly purple glow began to permeate the room, stemming from her palm.

"Hmm," her brother said. "The projection is getting stronger, but you need to be careful with the amount of energy you're pumping into it. You know what'll happen if you overdo it."

Adelphie grinned playfully as the light faded from her hand. "You're just jealous cuz you can't do it."

Her brother grinned and planted a kiss on her forehead. "Get some sleep, Little Bit," he said, laying her on her bed and standing up to leave. "And please stay awake tomorrow, because if you don't then  _I'm_  the one Father's going to grumble at."

The door closed, and Adelphie fell asleep knowing that all was well in the world.

The massive crash that resonated throughout the keep pulled her from her dreams. Outside, she heard terrible noises. The crack of gunfire, the clang of metal against metal, the screams of the dying. It was a sound that had been described to her hundreds of times in her books. The sound of battle.

She didn't understand how this was possible. Nobody ever came to the island. Her father had told her that the last time someone had come was back when her Grandfather was still the King, decades before she had even been born.

All she felt was confusion.

And then pain. A physical pain so terrible that it left her reeling and short of breath.

She already knew what it meant. The same thing had happened 3 years ago when she had lost her mother.

Her father had left this world. As the shock wore off and she felt the first tears beginning to rise, she felt the pain again. Stronger and sharper than the first time.

Her brother was gone as well.

It was often said that Adelphie had the demeanor of someone three times her age, but at the moment, she was no different than any other child. She curled up in her bed and cried. Her agonized sobs would have caused a twinge in even the hardest of hearts.

She was still sobbing when the door burst open.

In the doorway were two young men. One was obliviously a few years older, possibly around 20, but they both had the same black hair and eyes, and the same unremarkable face. They grinned as they caught sight of the girl bundled in her sheets.

"There's the little bairn. See Aval, I told ye we'd find 'er eventually," the younger one said.

The girl looked at them through puffy eyes. These two men had the coldest life forces she had ever felt. She felt sick just being near them.

"The lass is a lot younger than I imagined," Aval said, placing a hand on his chin. "But I'm nothing if not patient."

"Did ya hear that, Girl?" the younger one said. "Looks like we'll be staying here from now on. That's Aval, and I'm Ajax. You and this island belong to the Lucio brothers."

And so it came to be that for the next ten years, Adelphie was confined to the Keep. Her room was guarded 24/7 and her trips outside were few and far between. The island, which once emitted nothing more a feeling of content, slowly became more and more desolate as the happy auras receded entirely to the treetop towns. The Lucios were never explicitly cruel to her, but still, Adelphie hated them. They had taken her entire life from her and had removed any clue as to the previous owners of the Keep.

The only place that remained untouched was her room, where Adelphie would pore over her books. She developed a reputation for wandering around the keep with a little notebook, jotting down just about whatever she saw happen, no matter how trivial it was.

Eventually, through practice, she discovered a new power. She found that she could disguise her life force from those around her. It wasn't invisibility per say. She could simply make herself as unnoticeable as a single leaf in a tree.

At first, she used it for simple pranks. A small tumble down the steps for the new guard here, a brick to the head there. Eventually, though, she began using it to stray further and further from the Keep, leaving her room at night and not returning until morning.

What she saw on her escapades shocked her. The only people that were being treated remotely as humans were the ones that could afford to live in the Treetop towns. Ragnara, the symbol of Inheritance, once beloved by the Islanders, was now nothing more than a statue. A meaningless shell. The armored Royal Soldiers, once a symbol of peace and order that young children would stare at in wonder as they marched by, became nothing more than oppressors.

The worst shock for Adelphie however, came from the Islander's dispositions towards her. It was common knowledge that the little princess had survived the pirate's attack ten years ago. But to them, she was little more than a traitor. Scum who had turned her back on her people and bowed down to the invaders, who day by day were making their lives worse.

She hadn't left the Keep much after that bit of information reached her.

She had once considered using her new ability to attempt to kill the brothers but had scrapped that idea within moments. The thought of using the Alard's greatest treasure for violence sickened her to the core, so instead, she took to spying on them.

She discovered a great deal about them. While they were more or less cold to the world, they held a real affection for one another. While they were prone to murderous fits of rage, they seemed to live by a twisted code of honor. They never harmed anything or anyone if they didn't have anything to gain from it.

It was during one of the many overheard conversations between them that would lead to the girl's greatest tragedy. The setting was the same as it usually was. The Lucios were sitting at a massive table with enough food to feed a dozen people, most of which they would barely touch. Adelphie was sitting in the corner of the room, notebook in hand, for regardless of how tainted these men were, a story was a story, and it had to be recorded.

"It's been more than a decade, brother," Ajax said through a mouthful of food. "Do you think she's ready?"

Adelphie froze. They could only be talking about her. Outside of her spying, her actual interaction with the Lucios was nearly nonexistent. In fact, she didn't think she had  _ever_  actually said a single word to them. She had often wondered why they bothered to keep her around, but it had never seemed like something she would have to deal with.

"She's a bit young yet," Aval said. "I'd say another year or two should suffice."

Adelphie felt as if someone had dumped ice into her stomach. The feeling of dread built up more and more as the conversation continued.

"She's growing up to be a proper bonnie, too," Ajax said, leering perversely. "Who knows, the act might even be enjoyable."

The sound of the door slamming shut caused them both to look around in alarm.

"Did you hear something?" Aval said.

"I'm... not sure," Ajax said. Eventually, the brothers shrugged it off and resumed their meal.

Adelphie stared at herself in the mirror. Everything made a horrific kind of sense now. They were after the Alard dynasty's treasure. A gift that only appeared once in a generation. Her mother had it before her, and her grandfather before her mother. But the Lucios weren't content with merely having it. They wanted their own name to be written over it.

The girl didn't cry. She had learned very early on in her life that tears accomplished nothing. Not with these people at least. There would be no one to comfort her or stroke her hair. So instead, she thought of a way out.

Escape was impossible. The last ship on the island had belonged to the Lucios, which had been scuttled years ago to ensure that nobody ever escaped, and nobody else ever came to the island. She doubted that any visitors would leave alive even if they did come. The only Transponders they had were short-ranged, so she had given up on contacting anyone off the island years ago. She had nobody she could contact either way. It wasn't as if she could hide in the forests either, as vast as they were. She couldn't conceal herself indefinitely. They would find her.

The Alards were inherently born with a love of life, so suicide wasn't even an option for her, and she shuddered as the thought crossed her mind.

That left only one course of action. She steeled herself and placed her hand over her navel. She felt out her life force as she had done countless times, but instead of simply feeling the energy streams flow through her, she rooted around in it, searching for one in particular.

She forcibly cut the flow, and the sensation of part of her very existence dying would haunt her for years to come.

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

"The Lucios were angry at first, but there was nothing they could do about it. They're vile men that will do just about anything to get what they want, but they're not really cruel in the traditional sense," Adelphie said. "After that, I might as well have not existed to them. The people hated me, and the Alard name will die with me, so I wasn't a threat. And that's it. That's my story."

They were the first people Adelphie had ever had a chance to tell this story. She didn't know what to expect. Pity? Sympathy? She certainly wasn't expecting anger, which was written all over the boy's faces when she looked up at them.

Viccy was in turmoil. He wasn't some knight in shining armor. He had never been one to stick up for people who wouldn't stick up for themselves. He would walk by one-sided bullying in the hallways and ignored the verbal abuse being thrown around in classrooms. Pity was a completely foreign concept to him. There was a far cry, however, from someone being too timid to defend themselves and a child who was simply unable to do so. To push a young girl to such extremes? A man who targets someone that won't defend themselves is scum. A man that targets someone who  _can't_  defend themselves didn't even deserve to be on this earth.

Leon's case was much more simple. Adelphie, despite being older and definitely wiser than him, had awakened in him every natural protective instinct that a man has. The same instincts that drive a man to grab his shotgun and head downstairs in the middle of the night when his wife says she heard a noise. The same instincts that would force a man to stop in the middle of the sidewalk and pat a crying stranger on the back.

Viccy and Leon stood up at the same time, and as they looked at each other, they knew it was for the same reason.

"What are you doing?" Adelphie said as Leon kicked the cell door off its hinges.

"What we have to," Leon said.

Adelphie looked panicked. "You don't have to go on some sort of righteous rampage," she said. "We need to leave while we can. The Lucios are dangerous!"

"So are we," Leon said. "Just wait here. We'll come back for you when it's over and get you off this rock."

"Have some faith," Viccy said.

Adelphie could only stare as they walked down the hallway and left. In her mind, she knew that she probably should have tried harder to stop them, but something about the sound of the guard outside being choked into unconsciousness caused her spirits to soar.

She couldn't help but hope, especially as she heard the thundering boom of cannons firing into the stronghold. Something had opened the floodgates...

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

Viccy and Leon met almost no opposition on the way to the Keep. Most of the soldiers seemed a bit preoccupied on the walls, as constant shelling from an unknown source whittled them down little by little.

Both of the Lucios were waiting for them when they kicked the wooden doors to the keep down.

"Wow," Ajax said, grinning. "That hunk of wood didn't stand chance."

"As righteous avengers, they return," Aval said. He didn't bother with his arrogant facade this time around. "Risking their lives over the fate of an island of strangers... And you call yourself pirates..."

A cannonball tore through the wall and exited the other side of the room, going ignored for the most part.

"We don't give a damn about this island," Leon said, clenching his fists. "What you did to Adelphie..."

"Adelphie?" Ajax said. "The wee lass still hangs around here?"

"That's enough," Viccy said as his face elongated into a muzzle and claws sprouted from his fingertips.

"What are you?" Ajax said. "Some sorta Gecko?"

The brothers began shifting as well. Fur sprouted across their entire bodies, their eyes became massive and bulged, and their ears elongating to over a foot long and moved to the tops of their heads. Their arms turned into leathery wings, not unlike Viccy's own.

Ajax's face elongated until his head was roughly similar to a canine's in shape, and he grew to more than twice the size of his older brother. Aval's face flattened out, becoming wrinkly and scrunched, and several massive fangs sprouted from under his upper lip.

"Bats," Viccy said.

"Real observant..." Ajax said. "I thought ye said the chiel in the vest were the smart one, Aval"

Aval only grinned in response, the normally pleasant expression twisted into something that was downright disturbing on his warped visage.

"You should have taken up my offer, Lad," he gloated. "Once we finish putting you down, that little revolt outside will be of no consequence." He then opened his mouth as if to say something else.

Viccy and Leon were both blown backward by some unseen force. They tumbled head over heels before coming to a stop in a crouched position, and Viccy felt the distinct taste of bile in his throat. The ringing in his ears was physically painful in and of itself and made it impossible to hear anything.

They had time to stagger to their feet and look up before the Lucios were upon them.

A blow from Aval's leathery wing sent Viccy flying into the meter thick wall, and he barely managed to avoid a kick that would have sent him straight through it by diving to the side. He saw Aval speaking and struggled to make out what he was saying.

"I honestly thought you'd have a bit more scrap in you. If I'd known all you had were some silly little gecko powers, I'd have had you killed on the spot," he said.

Viccy's eye twitched.

 _ _Do people really not notice the giant wings?__ He thought.

Viccy opened his mouth to retort, but instead of the stream of insults that Aval was expecting, a stream of fire that engulfed half the room escaped, setting the carpet and draperies ablaze. The man barely managed to throw himself out of the way of the flames, and he felt the heat singe the fur on his wings.

"Fucking watch it Spice!" Leon yelled down from the overlook. He doubted Viccy heard him, though, since he couldn't even hear himself speak.

He had managed to get a hold of a jeweled saber that had been dislodged from the wall by the cannonball that had barreled through earlier. While he was by no means a swordsman, the sharp blade combined with his inhuman reflexes were managing to keep the hulking Ajax at bay. For the moment at least.

Both of them had been sent scuttling by the wall of flames.

Aval flapped up to the ceiling and dug his claws into the concrete. His eyes narrowed as he studied Viccy curiously. "What are you?" Viccy saw him mouth.

Viccy rolled his eyes. If he hadn't figured it out by now, then he didn't deserve to know.

Instead of answering, he flared his wings and threw himself in Aval's direction, tackling him around the midriff and blowing them both out of the ceiling and into the night sky.

Leon could barely spare a thought for Viccy as he saw him hurdle out of the building. His arms ached from blocking Ajax's blows using only the saber. The multiple cuts and stab wounds around the massive batman's body weren't even slowing him down.

He was obviously making several attempts at trash talk, but it was quite literally falling upon deaf ears, as Leon didn't have enhanced vision to aid him in lip reading.

Deprived of his guns, Leon knew that it was only a matter of time before Ajax slipped through his defense. It would take a miracle to make it out of this mess.

His miracle came in the form of a white and red streak on the edge of his vision.

Outside, Viccy was engaged in a violent dogfight with Aval. He had been hit several times by Aval's sonic echoes, to the point where he couldn't even hear the ringing in his ears anymore and he periodically coughed up blood.

Aval was in no better shape. His fur was badly burned, his eyes and nose stung from some noxious substance that had been breathed into his face, and one of his wings was flapping more slowly than the other, weighed down by a coating of ice.

As they closed in for another clash, Viccy managed to get a hold of Aval, pulling him into a clinch with the intent of ending their battle in one fell swoop. He tucked his wings in and pointed them straight towards the ground.

Aval realized what was happening much too late. In desperation, he clamped his fangs onto Viccy's shoulder. Viccy roared in pain as he felt the scales crack, but he still didn't relinquish his hold.

Inside the Keep, the red and white streak that was Priscilla needed only a fraction of a second to survey the situation. Her eyes danced around as she took in the surroundings.

Liz was in the sky tangling with some weird bat thing, and Blondie was inside the building having his ass handed to him by another bat thing. She couldn't get up there to help him since the overlook they were on was too narrow for her to swing Caduceus around safely, so she looked around for another option.

She grinned as she spotted a familiar set of firearms hanging over a tacky marble throne in the rear of the room, and she dashed towards them. She leaped the last few meters and grabbed a hold of the lever action, twisting around and throwing it at Leon as hard as she could in midair.

The speed at which Leon turned and gripped his weapon was almost disturbing.

Ajax grinned wickedly. He knew for a fact that every single firearm that hung on the walls of this room had no ammunition, and the blond's bandolier had been confiscated when he'd been brought there.

Leon also grinned, just as wickedly. He knew that there was no way they would put loaded weapons on display. But Vindication was much more special than your average standard issue rifle.

He flicked open a small hidden compartment in the stock and pulled out a single round. Quick as a flash, he loaded it into the magazine and cocked the lever. Ajax didn't even have time to blink as the barrel was raised to his face.

The trigger was pulled, and the muzzle flashed. A blinding white light filled the room along with a dull  _boom_  that would have rivaled one of the cannons firing outside.

Ajax was propelled backward by the force of the round, stronger than any mere bullet. He crashed straight through the wall of the keep and flew outside for several dozen meters before hitting the outer fortress walls with enough force to knock off several of the people now fighting on top of them. His body slipped off the stones and onto the ground below, where it lay twitching and senseless.

Leon turned around to greet Priscilla, a wide smile on his face.

Their reunion was interrupted when Viccy and Aval crashed through the ceiling, both screaming bloody murder as they plowed straight into the ground. Aval's face hit the marble first and absorbed most of the impact, but it still hurt like hell when Viccy's own face met the floor a fraction of a second later.

When the dust cleared, it revealed a battered, bloody and 100 percent insensate Aval, along with a battered, bloody and only slightly more sensate Viccy.

The young man blinked rapidly in an effort to clear the stars from his eyes, before sitting up and groaning. Ollie chose that exact moment to come sprinting through the door, his strange coffeemaker/laser weapon clutched in his hand. His face shone with relief when he caught sight of them, and he doubled over, heaving with exhaustion.

Leon and Priscilla walked up to Viccy and helped him to his feet. He would have thanked them if it wasn't for Priscilla and Ollie's rather appalling appearance.

"Why are you two soaked in blood?!" Viccy asked, his hearing still nonexistent.

"I could ask you the same thing," she mouthed.

"You really like sharpies?" Leon asked her, confused. Priscilla locked her gaze on him, and her eyes began to glow.

"We got roped into treating the rebel faction's injured," Viccy saw Ollie mouth. The boy looked genuinely disturbed for once. "Some of them were in pretty bad shape. I didn't know a splinter could cause so much damage..."

"Ah jeez," Priscilla whined as she scanned Leon. "Ruptured eardrums, cracked ossicles, a flooded Eustachian tube... What the fuck have you idiots been up to?"

"You can fix our hearing, right Doc?" Viccy asked, banishing his dragon form and beginning to turn back to normal.

"Of course I can," she said, turning her gaze to him. "Who do you think you're talking t-"

Priscilla's mouth suddenly stopped moving as she got a look at him. She stood frozen in shock for a moment before physically launching herself at him. "STOP CHANGING!" she yelled as she pinned him to the ground.

It was too late. Viccy attempted to shout in protest, but no sound left his mouth. Only a fountain of blood.

In mere seconds he was bleeding from every single orifice in his head, from his ears to his eyes.

"What the hell?" he said in a daze, before falling fully unconscious.

"What's wrong with him?" Ollie said, his face frozen in a mask of panic. As panicked as he could look anyway.

"He's a complete fucking mess. His dragon form was the only thing holding him together. It's like someone took a sledgehammer to his insides," Priscilla said, performing a few cursory checks. "I'm taking him back to the ship."

She slung Viccy over her shoulders and prepared to sprint out.

Leon, still being deaf, didn't have a grasp of the gravity of the situation, but he did understand that they were leaving. "You go on ahead," he said. "I have to make a stop."

"Oh for fuck's sake. We don't have time for this," Priscilla said. "Ollie, go with him. I'll meet you back on the Maiden." And with that, the doctor virtually flew out of the Keep, leaving nothing but a trail of dust in her wake.

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

" _This is boring, Dad_ ," Viccy said, leaning his head against his chair and glaring at the motionless fishing rod clutched in his hand.

" _That's cause you suck at it, Boy_ ," Old Man Carver said, laughing. " _Just wait 'til you get a bite. You'll change your tune._ "

" _Are there even any fish in this lake_?" Viccy said.

" _Course there are_ ," the man said. " _You're just scarin all of em away_."

Viccy huffed into his hand. He was about to give up and go back to the tent until he felt the line give a little jerk. He sat up immediately and placed both his hands on the rod, excited that something was finally happening.

" _Dad!_ " he yelled.

The man smiled at him. " _Well reel it in_ ," he said. "Thisuns  _on_ _ _you__ _, Boy_."

Viccy fought with the fish for over five minutes, before he finally managed to bring it in. A big 15 lb bass.

Viccy grinned triumphantly and turned to his father, expecting to be showered with praise. Instead, he found himself gazing into a pair of familiar black eyes.

" _Not you_ _ _again__ _..._ " Viccy said.

" _Yes, it is I. Your beloved wiener dog_ ," Demonio said.

" _I fucking hate you_ ," Viccy said. Demonio only chuckled in response.

" _You've done well, Pup_ ," Demonio said. " _Better than I originally imagined actually_."

" _What are you talking about? Why are you here_?  _Why am_ _ _I__ _here_?" Viccy said.

"I _t's still not the time for you to have that answer, Pup_ ," Demonio said. " _But rest assured, it will more or less make sense one day. For now, just follow your path. There are much greater hardships in store for you, so you'd best prepare._ "

" _Fuck you..._ " Viccy said sulkily. The dog chuckled again.

" _We'll see each other again, Pup_ ," Demonio said. " _Although even I don't know when._ " The dog faded away, leaving Viccy to his dreams.

 

 

 

* * *

****

****

****

****Marine Headquarters in the New World** **

The two men were discussing the day to day mundanities that accompanied their positions. The day was hot, but then again, it was always hot in Marine HQ. The cramped office didn't help much either. One of them, a muscular man with pink hair and glasses, considered for the 10th time today if they should order the entire HQ moved to a different island. One with good weather.

"Let's see, Kid and Laws' fleets are causing trouble up near Melogia again," A blond man that was Coby's lifelong companion said. "It looks like it's just a skirmish this time, but something's bound to happen eventually."

"You're going to have to go deal with that one personally, Meppo," Coby said. "I've got Tora on assignment in Paradise, and Hans is in the South Blue for some reason."

"Didn't he say he was visiting family?" Helmeppo said.

"How should I know?" Coby said. "The man's as tight-lipped as they come. What else? Keep going."

"The Sea King infestation around Sabaody is finally coming under control," Helmeppo said.

"It's about time, too," Coby grumbled. "I sent the extermination parties out ages ago."

"There's a new batch of rookies tearing around the South Blue," Helmeppo said.

"What else is new? These kids never learn," Coby said, shaking his head. "Details?"

"There's a crew sailing under a kid named Brennan Emil. Started out a couple of months ago. We don't have much info about them, but they're tough bastards by the looks of things. They took down the Steel Hook pirates a few days ago. There's also some kid named Viccy Carver and his crew. One of them is a Fabroni..."

Coby shook his head sadly, as if he were being reminded of something unpleasant.

"They've also got a former marine corpsman with them. Cutter's daughter..."

Coby flinched a bit at the name. "Does she know?" he said.

"Not yet, but it's a matter of time."

"Just keep an eye on her. We don't want a repeat of last time."

"Will do. And as for the other two... There are no records of either of them. It's like they just fell out of the sky."

Coby flashed an amused grin. "Kinda reminds you of  _her_ , eh."

"I  _still_  don't know what Fujitora was thinking with that one," Helmeppo said, shaking his head. "They've only been active a couple of weeks and they've already sunk a marine frigate and started a war on an island kingdom. The reports say Carver turns into some sort of... er... fire-breathing gecko? Hans is already on their tail, though, so I wouldn't worry too much about them."

"Tell him not to kill them if he can," Coby said. "There's always hope for them when they're young. And Cutter wouldn't be very happy..."

"I'll send the message," Helmeppo said.

"Is that it?" Coby said.

"Yeah. We're done for now."

Coby grinned in relief.

"So how's the wife, Meppo?" he asked.


	9. Haze on the Water

The first thing he heard was laughter. Lots of laughter. And cursing. Then something hitting the wall.

A thwack of a fist against a skull?

Viccy snapped his eyes open, only to immediately shut them as light hammered his retinas and his senses were absolutely bombarded.

The sound of yelling made his head pound and his whole body ached, but at the very least the couch he was on was comfortable, and the smell of cooking food was pleasant. Much better than anything the other two boys or even the Doc could whip up. Not that he'd ever say that to her face.

He attempted to tune out the yelling and go back to some semblance of sleep, but it was practically impossible.

"It's a living thing!" Priscilla yelled. "You could have killed it you idiot!"

"I already apologized to it," Leon said.

"You apologized?" Priscilla said. "Look at it! You scared the poor thing half to death!"

"It's just milking the situation," Ollie said. "The green one is an attention seeker."

"Just calm down. I won't throw the damn controller snails around anymore," Leon said, rubbing the recently acquired lump on his head. "It's not like they can feel it through their shells anyways."

"How about I throw you at the wall and see if you don't feel it?!" Priscilla said. "I bet your skull is thicker than a snail's shell anyway."

Viccy felt his pulse quicken. Was a bit of peace and quiet too much to ask for? What was he doing in the rec room anyways? He knew for a fact that the Maiden had a fully stocked sickbay. Selda had made sure of that. He was tired, sore, and he felt as if he hadn't eaten since...

Viccy sat up fast enough to rip the IV drip from his arm, eliciting a yelp of pain. He looked around at the startled faces of his crewmates as he massaged his arm.

"Where's Adelphie?" he asked.

Priscilla stomped over to him and forcibly laid him back down on the couch, not saying a word as she began to look him over.

"She's in the galley," Leon said. "It's her turn to cook, thank the powers... I don't think I could handle any more of that stuff Ollie calls food."

"It's not like you're any better..." Ollie said.

"Her turn to-?" Viccy began. He looked down at himself and realized that his entire torso was covered in bandages.

"Oh," he said simply.

"After Cilla hauled you off, me and Ollie went to fetch Adelphie down in the dungeon," Leon said. "She wasn't there, so we were running around the whole building looking for her. The battle was almost over by the time we found her, and when we get to her she makes us haul her book collection back with us. She's lucky she's pretty is all I'm saying..."

"When got back to the ship and found Cilla standing over you with your chest cut open," Ollie said. "Leon almost started crying."

"I did not," Leon said, reddening and looking away. "The antiseptic was burning my eyes."

"It gave me a nasty shock too when she carried you in coughing up your liver," Maddy interjected over the intercom. "But nobody pays any mind to how the ship feels..."

"Thanks for caring, I guess?" Viccy said.

Priscilla ended her inspection, grinning and patting Viccy on the head. "That devil fruit of yours is pretty gnarly. Most people wouldn't survive that kind of damage."

Viccy looked down at his bandages again. The longer he stared at them, the thicker and more restrictive they seemed to get.

"What exactly did you do to me?" he said.

Priscilla grinned in a manner that was most unbecoming of a young lady her age. "The real question is, 'What didn't I do to you?' And the answer to that would be, 'Preserve your dignity'."

Viccy shuddered involuntarily. The thought of Priscilla having power over his unconscious body was disturbing, to say the least.

"You were pretty messed up, Liz," she said, becoming serious. "I don't know what the bat man was hitting you with, but it was rupturing blood vessels across your entire body. You've been out for two weeks. You might be able to sit up now, but you won't be fighting any maniacal monarchs anytime soon."

"That sounds awful," Viccy said. "But then, why am I laying on the couch like a sick puppy while all of you play snail games..."

"Ha!" she said. "I needed you somewhere where I could see you, but I wasn't going to sit by a sickbed for two weeks. You're a big boy. You can handle it."

Viccy probably would have pursued the argument more if he hadn't caught onto a detail that his addled mind had previously skipped over.

"Why are you wearing Leon's clothes?" he asked.

Priscilla looked embarrassed for a mere moment before twisting her face into a scowl. "It's not like I want to," she said. "My old clothes are completely ruined and Ginger didn't bring anything besides a bunch of books."

"But didn't I catch you-" Ollie began.

"Finish that sentence and I'll rip your intestines out of your throat and use them as jump ropes," she warned. The boy wisely kept his mouth shut, and the silence that followed was almost painful.

Viccy broke the awkwardness the only way he knew how. With a boring and mundane question that would normally only serve to enhance the cringe. "Did anything interesting happen while I was... away?"

"The three of you got bounties," Ollie said. Viccy immediately perked up, first and foremost because his question actually got a response. And becoming a wanted criminal was cool too, he supposed.

A first bounty was a huge milestone for any promising pirate, so he didn't understand the crestfallen looks on his friends' faces.

"What's wrong?" he asked. "I thought at least Leon would be excited."

"They're just upset that their pictures came out a bit..." Ollie said, trailing off and looking at Priscilla.

"Let me see them," he said, standing up from the couch.

Ollie directed him to the table in the corner, on top of which were 3 posters. They contained their photographs, names, bounties, and a list of their alleged crimes. As he got a good look at them, a sense of dread came over him. He wondered if this was what it was like for the other kids back home when they saw their mother staring at them with a mailed report card in their hand.

Not only were their pictures less than desirable, raising the question of when and how they had been taken in the first place, the bounty posters also included their Marine sanctioned epithets. Precision Cilla, Gold Locks Leon, and...

"Spicebreath Viccy..." he mouthed, falling to his knees. "but... why?"

"They must have heard Blondie call you that back on Pompein," Priscilla said sullenly. "But who cares about that. I have plenty of pictures from when I was on the Wildcat. Why did they have to pick this one?"

"It's not that bad," he said, studying the photograph. The doctor was splattered in blood and brandishing her sword, and the wild look in her eyes suggested that a few things in her mind weren't where they should be. "It just makes you look... Overly impassioned?"

"She doesn't show emotion?" Leon asked.

"That's _ _impassive__ , Leon," Ollie said.

"How did they even get these pictures?" Viccy asked Leon. "Did you notice anyone down in that dungeon?"

The pictures in question showcased them in the midst of the scuffle that had broken out when Adelphie had freed them, and neither of them looked anywhere near as dashing or adept as they would have hoped. There was no hint of their skill or strength present in the photos. They just looked like a couple of angry kids trying to strangle each other.

"People learned not to ask  _where_  they get the photos, Spice," Leon said. "And aren't you even a bit annoyed that the supposed captain doesn't have the highest bounty?"

It was true. At 35 million, Priscilla's bounty surpassed Viccy's by 10 million berries, and Leon's by 20 million. Then again, her list of crimes was almost as long as both of theirs combined. "Not really," he said. "This is only the beginning. Hopefully, I can change that stupid epithet later on too." He began to read the listed crimes. All of them were wanted for "Inciting Rebellion."

"How could they possibly pin that battle on us?" he said. "If anything they should thank us for putting down the Lucios..."

Leon grinned impishly. "They're probably hanging by their ankles in seastone cuffs right now."

"If the natives haven't killed them yet," Priscilla said, her face twisting into an ugly scowl. "The bastards would deserve it for what they did to Ginger."

Viccy smiled. He had been a bit worried about how Adelphie's rather lax demeanor would come across with Priscilla. The girl wasn't exactly known for her patience, but it seemed that they got along reasonably well.

"About Adelphie," he said. "Is there anything you can do for her?"

Priscilla's face fell. "I already took a look at her," she said. "There's no tumor, no cyst... I don't know how that crazy power of hers works, but it killed every single one of her oocytes without actually doing any damage."

"It's actually kind of terrifying when you think about it," Leon said, shuddering a little. "She can kill with a touch."

"Not that I ever would," Adelphie said from her seat beside Viccy on the couch.

Everyone in the room jumped, but none more so than Priscilla. Viccy imagined that someone hiding directly in her field of vision would shake her a bit more than the others. He watched as she forced her hand to leave the hilt of her blade.

"I told you to stop doing that," she said. "I'm gonna end up lopping off that pretty red head of yours one of these days."

"I'm sure you'll just sew it back on," Adelphie said, grinning genially. "Besides, it'll teach you to watch that mouth of yours. You never know when I might be listening."

"You're not gonna make a habit of spying on us, are you?" Viccy asked.

"Dinner's ready," she said, ignoring his question completely.

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

Nobody standing on the deck of the Maiden could make heads or tails of the strange mist that surrounded them. Sea fog was relatively common over the South Blue, but there was something that just felt unnatural about in particular. It had advanced on the ship quickly and suddenly, and within minutes it had completely enveloped the ship, to the point where they couldn't see more a couple of meters in front of them.

"Fog doesn't build up this quickly," Ollie said.

"You sure have a penchant for stating the obvious, Ollie," Viccy said.

"He smells?" Leon said.

"That's  _ _pungent__ , Leon," Ollie said, shaking his head.

"Do you know what this stuff is Maddy?" Viccy said out loud.

"I do not," the AI said. "But Ollie's right. It can't be natural. I'll call the spitfire up here to take a look at it."

Two minutes and lots of muffled yelling later, a red-faced Priscilla stomped up the stairs and onto the deck.

"Stupid blackmailing ship," she mumbled. "I hope you pack of morons aren't just wasting my time. I'm in the middle of something."

Her eyes glowed angrily as she scanned the mist. She didn't say anything at first. She just continued to stare as her expression grew more and more perplexed. "This isn't mist. It's more like a really thick haze. But over the ocean?"

A sudden chill passed over everyone on the deck. Viccy began to look around frantically, searching for a danger that he could feel but not see.

The haze began twisting and rolling as if someone were squeezing it through their fingers. He felt the others instinctively gather into a circle, drawing their weapons and pressing their backs together. They barely jumped when Adelphie appeared in between Priscilla and Leon, having grown used to the almost imperceptible flash of violet that accompanied her whenever she came out of hiding.

"You got anything helpful to say, Ginger?" Priscilla said.

"It's alive," Adelphie said.

"Excuse me?"

"This stuff is  _alive_ ," Adelphie repeated, putting her hand out and displacing some of the haze. Unlike the rest of them, she seemed more awestruck than wary. "It stretches for miles, and every bit of it is putting out a life force. It's the first time I've seen anything like this."

They stared around, each of them on edge and wondering what sort of horrors awaited them. Except for Adelphie, who was excited and wondering what sort of horrors awaited them.

They stood in disbelief as the haze stirred into a frenzy as a large chunk of it began to solidify, and the crew of the Iron Maiden turned their weapons towards it. A sword, two revolvers, a coffeemaker, a flaming snout, and a notebook.

They held their breath as the shape became more and more defined. Arms sprouted, a face formed, and clothes appeared over a body.

When it was over, there stood the most regal looking man Viccy had ever seen. He looked to be approaching his thirties. From under a bicorne fell strands of loose, black hair that framed his face. While he wasn't exactly handsome, he had a certain rugged charm about him, enhanced by the crescent scar starting at the bridge of his nose and ending at the angle of his jaw. His white uniform was pristine, and fit well on his muscular figure.

All in all, he was a magnificent specimen and the calm black eyes that he gazed at them with showed no concern for the odd assortment of deadly weapons trained on him.

His eyes roamed the ship, nodding approvingly before saying two words.

"Nice ship." His voice was just as rugged and impassive as his face, though the crinkle in his eyes did betray a bit of amusement.

"Thanks," Maddy said.

One of the man's eyebrows rose slightly in surprise. "It talks?"

Priscilla was the first among the crew to speak, her voice quavering almost imperceptibly. "Admiral Hans."

"Third Admiral Hans the Hazy?" Adelphie said, marching right up to one of the most dangerous men in the world with no hesitation whatsoever. Her eyes held nothing but sheer excitement. "The man who single-handedly held off an assault from Emperor Law's entire Fifth Division for 2 days straight?"

The man looked at her curiously. Viccy assumed this wasn't the kind of reaction his presence on a pirate ship usually got. He imagined that there would normally be a lot more yelling and panic and men flinging themselves overboard.

"It was actually only one day and some odd hours," Hans said.

"So... Is there anything we can help you with?" Viccy said.

Hans turned his gaze on him. Viccy couldn't help but shrink back a bit. His eyes weren't scary looking or even unique in any way. They were just a regular set of black eyes. But the way they seemed to take everything in spoke volumes about their owner. This man didn't miss a thing. Figuratively and literally.

"Is there anything you can help me with?" Hans repeated back to himself, placing a hand on his chin. "A marine admiral randomly showing up on a pirate ship, and you ask if you can  _help_  him..."

All of them gripped their weapons a bit tighter, except for Adelphie, who simply crossed her arms and frowned.

"You're not here to fight, Admiral," she said. "Please stop scaring the children."

"And how would you know that?" Hans said.

"I'm not a child," Leon grumbled. "I can legally buy booze."

"Your reputation follows wherever you go," Adelphie said. "We received news of your doings even on the Icewick Isle. You're not exactly known for small talk, so if you wanted to take us down, you would have done it already. That's what the papers said at least."

Viccy nudged Priscilla in the side. "You see that Doc?" he said. " _That's_  how to be diplomatic."

"That's real cute..." she whispered. "Do you not realize that we're knee deep in shit? Hans the fucking Hazy is standing a few feet away from us!"

"Hans the fucking Hazy can also hear you from over here, and would appreciate it if you spared his virgin ears," Hans said, scowling. "Kids these days are so foul-mouthed..."

Priscilla clamped her mouth shut and continued to stare at the man, her eyes glowing and unblinking.

"You're not here to fight, and I doubt you came here to just to scold us," Adelphie said. "So what exactly do you want, Admiral?"

Hans narrowed his eyes and the air stood still. Everyone prepared for the worst. Except for Adelphie, who just began smiling as if she knew something that they didn't. Viccy would never have imagined such a shit-eating grin on her face in a million years.

Just as he was about to ask her about it, a resounding growl pierced the air. Everyone stared at Hans, but the man hadn't opened his mouth.

"Would you happen to have anything to eat?" he said, completely unabashed. "The cook on my ship made veggie stew for lunch. Me and vegetables don't really get along..."

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

Priscilla remained vigilant. Despite the man not exhibiting any outward signs of aggression, she didn't know what was going on in that admittedly dashing head of his. Liz and the others didn't understand the threat. This man could take all of them down with his ring finger if he wanted, and they were sitting here feeding him?

"Thank you, Miss," Hans said as Adelphie finished setting the table. "It smells wonderful." She only smiled in response.

If Priscilla had any doubts left as to the kind of man Hans was, they were soon laid to rest simply by watching him eat. The man was voracious, easily packing away as much as Viccy and Leon combined. And yet, his table manners were impeccable. He took his hat off, sat straight as a razor, with a knife and fork held in the proper positions and a napkin placed neatly across his lap.

He made sure to properly swallow his food before he spoke."So, Adelphie Alard, Viccy Carver with two Cs, Priscilla Cutter, and Leon..." He looked at each of them as he said their names, his gaze lingering on Leon a bit longer than the others.

His gaze then turned to Ollie, who recoiled so slightly that it was imperceptible to everyone but Priscilla. "And who might you be?"

Priscilla scrambled to call attention away from him. "We just call him Fuzzy," she said.

Hans looked at her curiously before shrugging. "You know, Fleet Admiral Coby seemed to be under the impression that I was following your little band," he said, the corners of his lips lifting into a smile. "He even told me to try not to kill you. Can you believe it?" he said chuckling.

Priscilla didn't think it was very funny, and neither did anyone else by the looks of things.

Noticing the uncomfortable silence, he cleared his throat and began again. "Anyways, I suppose I should thank you. Your little stunts have saved me a lot of red tape."

A short pause followed, during which Viccy voiced the sentiment of everybody else in the room. "What?"

"There are a couple of reasons I left the Grand Line. The first was to pay a visit to a cousin of mine," Hans said. "You know him as Red Spear Owen."

"He's your cousin?!" Priscilla said, unable to contain her surprise.

"Once removed," Hans said. "We've been getting reports about him abusing his rank for ages, but with Law and Kid at each other's throats in the New World and all the trouble with the Warlords in Paradise, nobody has time to spare for a small time captain in the South Blue..."

"You came down here just to yell at your cousin?" Priscilla said incredulously. The hilarity of the situation almost made her drop her guard. Almost...

Hans shrugged. "Family is all that any of us can truly count on, girl. Blood or otherwise. Anyone else would have just tossed him in the brig."

"You say that like he wouldn't deserve it..." she said.

"It's not about whether he would deserve it. I know full well what he did, Corpsman Cutter - to you specifically," Hans said. "And with those scars you left on his face, he'll always know too. But we all deserve a chance at redemption."

Priscilla's face twisted. He knew what Owen had done and he still sympathized with the cretin? She opened her mouth angrily.

Hans lifted his hand in warning. "That's enough," he said.

It sounded exactly like what it was. An order. She knew that it would be much healthier to keep her mouth shut at this point, but she had never been very good at doing what she was told. Owen's face was a testament to that.

"No, it's not enough!" she said, her voice coming dangerously close to a yell. "If that bastard spent the rest of his-"

Priscilla felt a weight settle on her shoulder. She flicked her eyes away from Hans for a moment to look down at Ollie's hand. He didn't say anything, but she knew that he was pleading with her to stay silent.

Hans directed his gaze at Viccy next. "He'll come after you again. Getting humiliated by two kids in the same week seems to have mellowed him out a bit, but a man can only change so much."

"Good," Priscilla said. "Next time I'll give him some matching scars on his-"

"Cilla," Ollie whispered. Priscilla begrudgingly cut off her tirade.

"The second reason I came here was to check on a certain island kingdom which just happens to be recoiling from the aftermath of a regime change..." Hans said.

"You went the Isle?" Adelphie said.

"I did," Hans said. "I was only planning to pop my head in. The Icewick Isle has been dark for the last four decades, but then again, it's never been more than a footnote in recent history. Which makes me wonder why you bunch were there in the first place..."

"Cilla needed new clothes," Ollie said.

Hans looked at Priscilla again, who stared defiantly back.

"I'm not judging you or anything," he said. "But are those really what you chose?"

Priscilla grimaced as she remembered that she was still wearing Leon's clothes. They weren't particularly ugly, but they were definitely designed for a man to wear them.

"They're not mine," she quickly spat out before the situation could be made even more awkward.

Hans moved his eyes between her and the only other person in the room wearing cowboy gear, his mind making a connection that Priscilla couldn't comprehend. The corners of his mouth turned up a bit when he reached his conclusion. "I see. Well, you're both technically adults I suppose. And being cooped up for weeks at sea does-"

"It's not like that!" Priscilla shouted. Her face was beet red at this point. She could hear Leon sniggering in the corner, which only added to her anguish.

"No need to be embarrassed," Hans said. "It's completely natural to-"

He ducked as something heavy flew over his head, embedding itself into the wooden wall with a loud thump. Even Hans seemed a bit startled. Leon walked over to the object and yanked it free.

"You shouldn't throw the snails around, Cilla," he said, patting the irate mollusk on the eye stalks. "They're living things."

"Could you lot please not put holes in me?" Maddy said.

"That was unnecessarily violent..." Hans said disapprovingly.

Priscilla just continued glaring at him.

"Anyway, if the Lucios had still been in power when I arrived, it would have been a very difficult situation for me. Usurped throne or no, they were still the de facto rulers of the island, meaning I wouldn't have been able to touch them. Not physically at least. But, thanks to that little revolt you lead-"

"That wasn't us," Viccy said. "That battle would have taken place eventually anyway. We just... sped up the process?"

"That doesn't matter," Hans said. "You were there, so you take the blame. That's just how it works."

"I guess some things never change..." Viccy said.

"Seeing as I found the Lucios being kept neck deep in a pool of water, it was safe to say that they weren't in power anymore. So I took them in myself."

"The locals just let you have them?" Leon said.

"It's not as if I asked," Hans said. "They were world fugitives at that point, so I was well within my right."

Priscilla decided not to bring up the fact that 3 of the people in the room were also world fugitives.

"What did you do with them?" Leon asked.

"They're hanging by their ankles in seastone cuffs as we speak," Hans said. "Which actually leads me to my final point." He tucked his napkin beside his plate, stood up, and turned his gaze to Adelphie, who had spent most of the conversation scribbling in her notebook.

"I know your story," he told her. "You don't have a criminal record, so if you like I could take you back with me. I'm sure Fleet Admiral Coby could work something out with the Republic for you."

A few thoughts passed through Priscilla's head. She honestly couldn't call the redhead her friend. Adelphie was exactly the kind of person that she wasn't. Benevolent, patient, and most of all pacifistic.

This would have been fine if only Priscilla could understand why. Adelphie had been exposed to some of the worst hardships she had encountered in all her years of travel. The redhead should be even more volatile and snappish than Priscilla was. If it hadn't been for the lessons left to her by her mentor, her own heart would have turned black ages ago. But Adelphie had been left with nothing but memories of her loved ones growing up.

If she was completely honest with herself, she was a bit jealous of Adelphie. She who could pass through the psychological gauntlet and emerge without a bitter attitude towards everything. She who could express herself so easily with those silver eyes of hers whenever she wanted. They'd only been together a couple of weeks, but she was already unsure if they could ever truly get along.

So really, it was fine if Adelphie left, right? She'd definitely miss her cooking, though.

"No," Adelphie said.

Hans was the only person in the room that kept from doing a double take.

"Why?" he asked simply.

"A couple of reasons," she said. "These  _pirates_  are first people that have been good to me in two decades, so naturally I've latched on to them for dear life. I also plan to chronicle their journey. I've already started, so I can't back out now, even if I wanted to."

Hans smiled. A genuine smile that stretched his scar and made him look more like a goofy crocodile hunter than a Marine Admiral.

"Very well," he said. "That'll be it for today I suppose. Thank you for the meal." He placed his hat back on his head and lead the way up the stairs.

Everyone stared in awe at Adelphie as she fell into step behind him. The trip outside was entirely silent, and not even the waves lapping against the ship could be heard through the thick haze that still covered the area.

"Where will you go now?" Viccy said.

"Back to the Grand Line. I've got another idiot in the family that needs sorting out and I have to get the Lucios to Impel Down." He said as he began to dematerialize. "I doubt the Fleet Admiral will make the same mistake twice, Spicebreath-" Viccy visibly flinched at the use of his new epithet. "-Next time we meet, it will be as enemies. I doubt you'll be prepared, but do your best anyway."

"Thanks?" Viccy said.

"And watch out for Tora. You'll be seeing her soon from what I hear, and she's not quite as... predictable as I am," He said as he faded away.

The haze that heralded his arrival left as quickly as it came, and before long the crew was staring at blue skies and open ocean.

Priscilla closed her eyes and massaged them with her fingers. The constant strain of keeping an eye on Hans had taken its toll.

"Who's Tora?" Viccy asked. Priscilla turned around and leaned her head against the wall. This was going to be a long journey...

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

It was dusk when Priscilla found Adelphie. She was where she always at this time of day. Leaning against the prow of the ship and staring at the horizon. With the way the light of the setting sun danced across her hair and the content smile she sported, she looked like something out of a storybook.

The first couple of times at least. After two weeks of the routine, Priscilla thought it was getting kind of creepy. She walked up beside Adelphie and leaned on the rails in the same way that she was. They stood in silence for several minutes before a word was said.

"What are you always staring at?" Priscilla said. "There's nothing out there for leagues."

"Nothing that  _you_  can see, anyways," Adelphie said.

Priscilla narrowed her eyes. "What exactly are you trying to say?"

Adelphie turned to Priscilla. "I'm saying that you rely too much on those magic eyes of yours."

"Well, what else am I supposed to rely on? My nose? I'll leave that to Liz..." Priscilla said.

Adelphie pondered for a moment before speaking. "Look at me and tell me what you see."

Priscilla was growing more and more confused by the second. "A redheaded story-teller?"

"I prefer the title 'chronicler'," Adelphie said. "And try again. Look out there," she said, pointing to the horizon. "What do you see?"

"Water? Sky? Clouds?" Priscilla said. "Where are you going with this?"

"You're only looking with your eyes," Adelphie said.

"That doesn't make any sense," Priscilla said. "You can  _only_ look with your eyes. If you couldn't, then you'd be blind."

Adelphie sighed leaned back against the railing. "In that case, you still have a lot of growing to do," she said.

Priscilla rolled her eyes, thinking that Adelphie was a few needles short of a full set. "If you say so."

They stood in silence for another few minutes. As the rays of the sun finally dipped below the water, Adelphie spoke again. "You say you've traveled the Seas your whole life, right?"

"I did," Priscilla said.

Adelphie looked at her, and for the first time since they'd met, Priscilla spotted something almost like  _envy_ in her gaze. Adelphie turned away from her, and her expression cleared so quickly that Priscilla wondered if she had just imagined it.

"I've been curious about this for a while," Adelphie said. "But isn't that sword the Caduceus?"

"You know about it?" Priscilla asked.

"According to the legends, its blade can cut out disease and seal wounds as easily as it makes them. The last time it was seen, Jabi the Gentle was using it to cure the Spectral Plague in the North Blue. It's been missing for 400 years."

"That sounds about right," Priscilla said, patting the massive sword fondly.

"How did you come across it," Adelphie asked.

"That's kind of personal," Priscilla said. "Ask me again in a decade or two. Maybe I'll like you enough to tell you by then."

Adelphie only chuckled.

Priscilla debated whether or not to ask her own question. She knew it would keep bugging her if she didn't, so she decided to just spit it out.

"Hey, Ginger."

"Hmmm?" Adelphie said.

"Why did you decide to stay with us?" she said.

"I already answered that question," Adelphie said.

"Yeah, but... Is that really it? You want to write a story?" Priscilla said.

Adelphie smiled. She seemed to do that a lot. "I've found a story worth telling," she said. "And people worth finding it with. That's all I've ever wanted."

"I see," Priscilla said.

In reality, she didn't. She didn't understand  _anything_  about this woman. She supposed that was fine. She doubted there was anybody in the world that could ever be annoyed with Adelphie, and not being annoying was really the only thing Priscilla required of her. They were on the same crew after all, and by default that made them family. She would have to learn to like her eventually, no matter how different they may be.

"We're not all that different, you and I," Adelphie said.

Priscilla whipped her head around. "Did you just-"

"No," Adelphie said. "I'm not a telepath."

Priscilla narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "Riiiight... What do you mean, we're not that different..."

"I meant that beneath all that snark and the volatility of yours, we're not that different."

"You think all...this," she said, gesturing at herself and snorting. "Is just a front?"

"I never said it was a front," Adelphie said. "You're rude, violent, short-tempered, and you say the meanest things. I doubt that'll ever change."

"What's your point," Priscilla said, a vein popping up on her forehead. She knew it was true, but it still stung a bit to hear it out loud.

"I'll show you," Adelphie said.

She put out her hand and reached for Priscilla. The younger woman flinched backward, Leon's words passing through her head.

 _I_ __t's actually kind of terrifying when you think about it. She can kill with a touch._ _

Adelphie didn't stop her advance, however, and placed her hand over Priscilla's heart. She smiled reassuringly at the nervous girl before her hand started to glow violet.

Priscilla gasped as a wonderful, warm feeling coursed through her. All of her troubles seemed to fade away, and even the soreness that persisted in her eyes from their encounter with Hans lessened.

As Adelphie removed her hand, Priscilla half expected herself to latch onto it like a drug addict. It felt like the kind of thing that should be addictive, but while the warm surge was gone, the feeling of contentment and inexplicable happiness remained.

"What the hell was that?" she said in wonder.

Adelphie grinned knowingly and uttered a single word. "Love."

"Love?" Priscilla asked.

"Love," Adelphie said, nodding her head in confirmation. "Or more specifically, your own capacity for love reflected directly back at you. Take it from me, you have a lot more than average, no matter what you believe."

"What does that even mean?" Priscilla said.

Adelphie put her hand on the younger woman's shoulder. Priscilla didn't flinch away this time.

"It means that you have a lot of love to give. And you have plenty of people worth giving it to. What more could you want?"

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

****The Sea around the island of Hatchlock in Paradise** **

"This is a bad idea, Ma'am."

"This is a terrible idea, Lieutenant. When has that ever stopped me? Hurry up and ram me."

The Lieutenant continued to hesitate, ignoring the poorly concealed giggling from the marines behind him.

The woman crammed inside the barrel of the massive 408lber gun stared at him expectantly. The Lieutenant sighed and lifted up the ramrod, using it to push the woman into the recesses of the cannon.

"2000 berries she just plops into the water and we have to fish her out," a private whispered to another standing beside him.

"I heard that Losky," echoed the voice of the woman from inside the cannon. "You owe me a few pints if I make it."

"Ma'am, I have to say that this is almost as irresponsible as your last idea," the Lieutenant said.

"Are you  _ever_  going to stop bringing that up?" she said. "It's not my fault those 2nd Fleet buffoons can't tell a giant metal cat from a giant non-metal cat. Besides, there was no lasting damage."

" _ _Two__ Kong Class battleships were sunk and Vice Admiral Rooper was hospitalized for 3 days!" the Lieutenant yelled, grabbing his hair in frustration.

"But there was no  _lasting_  damage. That's all that matters," she said. "We can always build new ships and Rooper's body hair will grow back eventually. Now stop stalling and fire this baby up. I can't wait to see the looks on those douchebags' faces when I smash straight through their wall."

The Lieutenant closed his eyes and took a deep breath to steel himself, unable to disobey the order. "Get ready Boys!" he yelled as he lowered the botefeux to the vent. "FIRE IN THE HOLE!"

Everyone clapped their hands over their ears, but it barely served to muffle the sound as the 408 fired.

The main guns on the Sengoku Class battleships were thunderous at the best of times, but this one, in particular, had been loaded with roughly six times the regulated charge. A few of the more foolish marines standing closer to the action were knocked off their feet, and the shockwave caused the entire 120-meter long ship to tilt dangerously to the side.

Everyone who was left standing gaped at the remains of the gun, which had banana-peeled spectacularly and been blown clean off its mount.

The Lieutenant began sobbing in earnest. One of the privates walked up and patted his shoulder. "It's ok Lieutenant. I'm sure you won't get into any trouble for the gun if you tell the brass it was her idea.

"I know," the Lieutenant said. "It's just... She never listens to me!"

"Is she gonna make it, Kraft?" Private Losky asked nervously.

Kraft continued to stare at the island of Hatchlock with his binoculars. "She should be coming down aaaaany second now," he said.

A massive cloud of dust came up from the island and a low rumble resounded throughout the area. "Ha! She made it!" Kraft said to Losky, who immediately turned pale. "Looks like you owe Admiral Tora a few beers. That's a week's pay down the drain, Buddy."

Losky joined the Lieutenant in his sobs, both of which were almost entirely drowned out by the metallic thrums and terror-inducing roars coming from the island.

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

__**I decided to add this short little story. I'll start doing these from time to time.** _ _

****Bulletproof** **

"Are you 100% sure about this Spice?" Leon said.

"How else will we know? The scales can't be stabbed through, so it would make sense if they were bulletproof too right?" Viccy said. "Are you saying you're not confident in those mad skillz of yours?"

"That's not the issue here you moron," Leon said. "Do you know what Selda'll do to us if she finds out about this? Not to mention your mom."

"She's not my mom," Viccy said.

"Sure she isn't..." Leon said. "She just feeds you for free, and houses you for free, and takes care of you while you're sick. For free..."

Viccy had no response to that, so he decided to pretend that it wasn't said.

"She shouldn't be back from Zapa town with Usopp for a couple more hours at least, so we have the entire grounds to ourselves. Nobody will ever have to know."

"If we get caught, I'm blaming it all on you," Leon said.

"Even if you do, you'll be the one holding the gun," Viccy said, switching to his hybrid form and taking off his shirt. "We're in this together."

Leon raised his rifle to his shoulder and took aim, double checking that the slider behind the barrel was set as far back as it could possibly go.

"What are you fiddling with?" Viccy asked.

"I'm just making sure Vindy doesn't kill you," he said. "This way she only fires a regular bullet."

"How does that work?" Viccy said, the irony of what Leon had said not being lost on him.

"Some sciency mumbo-jumbo," Leon said. "I don't really know how it works, but you don't want to get hit with a full blast. And you wouldn't want to be the one firing the full blast either. Even my brother could barely handle the recoil."

"You have a brother?" Viccy asked.

"I don't know," Leon said simply. He didn't elaborate, and Viccy decided not to press the issue.

"You ready?" Leon asked as he trained his sights.

"Make sure to graze my shoulder or something just in case," Viccy said. Leon rolled his eyes as he loosed the round, the irony of Viccy's statement not being lost on him.

While Viccy had been more or less prepared, there was something terrifying about being shot at that nobody could ever really get used to. At the sound of the bullet leaving the barrel, he flinched harder than he ever had in his life.

There was a metallic ping and a slight surge of heat, as the bullet made contact with a tiny portion of his shoulder, and Viccy opened one eye to inspect the damage.

"You really are bulletproof..." Leon said.

"Not even a scratch," Viccy said, grinning. The sound of the gun firing again made his arms instinctively fly up to cover his face, and his whole body twisted to the side as the bullet smacked dead on his arm and bounced off, lying crumpled at his feet.

"WHAT THE FUCK, BIMBO?!" Viccy yelled, massaging his bicep. Even if it couldn't penetrate his scales, getting hit directly still stung.

"Just making sure," Leon said, grinning. "You know, the scales on your shoulders and chest look a lot thicker than the ones on your neck. You think maybe you're not bulletproof on your entire body?"

"Only one way to find out..." Viccy said.

And so, they experimented with Viccy's scales. Somewhere along the line, experimenting turned into flat out playing. More than an hour later, spent cartridges littered the field, and the grass around the entire area lay scorched and black.

"Point for me, Spice," Leon said. "I pegged you fair and square."

"Like hell you did," Viccy said. "That last one barely grazed me."

"It hit you right between the eyes and you know it!" Leon said.

"You can't prove that," Viccy said stubbornly.

"I say the sparks fly!" Leon said. "You can't bullshit me, Spice."

He raised his rifle again and took aim. Viccy grinned and moved to dodge the round. Though the boom of the rifle that echoed through the area was loud, the scream that echoed through the area heard was louder still.

Leon's eyes widened and he stared at Viccy.

"That wasn't me," Viccy said.

Both boys turned towards the mansion. Standing in the doorway not 20 meters away was Kaya, her eyes wide with horror and her hands clamped over her mouth.

Sometime later Viccy would feel guilty about what he must have put her through. To her, the sight of her trashed backyard, the rifle in Leon's hands, and the flames flickering through Viccy's blade-like teeth could only mean that the two youths were trying to kill each other for some reason. This understandably caused her some emotional turmoil.

For the moment, though, the only thing going through Viccy's mind was...

__Shit. She's back early._ _

 


	10. Wariness of the Unknown

"You call yourself a captain and you don't even know where your ship is sailing most of the time?" Priscilla said.

"I'm... more of a figurehead..." Viccy said. "Ollie's the one that decides where we go."

"No I don't," Ollie said.

"But aren't you supposed to be the navigator?" Viccy said.

"I'm more of a figurehead..." Ollie said. "I  _could_  navigate. But why would I do that when I can just program the ship to do it by itself?"

"Never gotten a word of thanks either," Maddy said. "And if you lot put off cleaning out the bilge for another day, I'll make sure none of you take a step off this ship until it shines."

"Did you really have to make another Selda?" Leon asked Ollie.

"When you say Selda, do you mean  _the_  Selda?" Adelphie asked.

"Probably..." Leon said. "How many Seldas are there?"

"You know Selda the Raven?" Priscilla said with an amused smirk on her face. "I'm calling bull. She hasn't been seen since her fight with Sword Swarm Valeria."

"It's said that their battle lasted more than a week and turned the island of Beleus into a desert," Adelphie said. "An entire Task Force from the Marine's 1st Fleet showed up halfway through and they couldn't do anything but watch."

"Usopp did say something about how she used to be one of the Emperors," Viccy said. Adelphie and Priscilla just stared at him silently.

"You know the King of Liars too?" Adelphie said.

Priscilla narrowed her glowing eyes and began to inspect him.

"You're telling the truth..." she said, her voice compounded in awe. "What exactly were you three doing before we met?"

"How about we save this conversation for another time," Maddy interrupted. "We're about an hour off from Baterilla and that bilge is still filthy. I wasn't joking about not letting any of you off..."

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

The island was beautiful. Palm trees lined the beaches, and while the mountains in the distance weren't as big as the ones on the Icewick Isle, they definitely looked more friendly. Priscilla had noticed a few ships anchored in the small concealed harbor they were heading towards and was in the middle of inspecting them.

"Baterilla. The final stop before Reverse Mountain. We won't see land again for at least a month, so I recommend all of you get what you need here," Maddy said. "The Marine's presence here is light, but I still recommend you keep your heads down."

"Our group includes a blond cowboy with more firepower than a Marine platoon and a white-haired homicidal maniac with a giant candy cane strapped to her back," Ollie said. "Keeping our heads down isn't really in the cards..."

"How about we dye your hair black Cilla?" Adelphie said.

The withering glare that Priscilla gave as a response made even the stalwart chronicler uncomfortable. "It was just a suggestion..." she mumbled.

"You can't be serious," Leon said as he came up from the stairs leading to the lower deck. "That silky white hair of hers is the only thing that distracts you from the fact that she's a demon."

Viccy trudged along behind him, looking absolutely miserable. Both of them were slightly singed.

"You two reek," Priscilla said, recoiling in disgust. "Were you rolling around in the bilge water?"

"We found a nest of sea-roaches down there," Leon said. "Spice panicked and started spraying fire everywhere..."

"I fucking hate roaches," Viccy said, shivering and gripping his own shoulders. "Disgusting little pieces of filth..."

Priscilla's eyes twinkled with a malignant glee. "Is the big, bad lizardboy afraid of a few sea-roaches?"

"I'm not afraid of them!" Viccy said. "I just don't like them. Especially not when they're the size of your hand... And there were way more than a few."

"They wouldn't have settled there if you cleaned the place out more often," Maddy said.

"We heard you the first five times," Leon said.

"And I'll say it five more if that's what it takes," Maddy snapped.

They were now close enough to the natural harbor for Priscilla to able to get a good look at the ships.

"I thought so... Pirates," she said. "I'm counting five ships. Is this the only hidden harbor on the whole island?"

"Ships?" Viccy said. He could only vaguely make out the outlines of objects in the water. "I'll take your word for it."

"I recognize a couple of the Colors they're flying," she said. "There's the Dust Devils. Pretty small time. Actually tangled with their captain once. Bastard got away missing most of his toes."

She then squinted her eyes a bit to make out the farthest ship. "Brennan Emil's Flag... The Marines don't have much on him, but he took down the Steel Hooks a little while back. Their captain had the highest bounty in the South Blue. The survivors were all driven insane. We couldn't get a single word out of them."

"He already sounds like a stand-up guy," Viccy said.

"Just keep a lookout for him," Priscilla said. "He's dangerous and you're in no condition to fight."

"Why would we have to fight?" Viccy said. "That's the problem with your way of thinking, Doc. It always leads to violence."

Priscilla shrugged. "It's one of the only languages everyone can understand."

"Right alongside kindness and sex appeal," Viccy said. "You already have one of those. You should work on the o-"

There was a blur of movement, a yelp of surprise, and then a splash as something hit the water.

Adelphie looked over the side of the ship at the captain struggling in the waves. Leon and Ollie still seemed to be puzzling out what had happened.

Several moments passed before Adelphie finally spoke up.

"Is anyone going to fish him out?"

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

Everyone Leon's eyes turned, he saw color. The red of the ceramic roof tiles. The greens and blues of the wooden buildings. Even the people were colorful. The whole city of Cimbalo seemed to ooze adventure and excitement from its very cobblestones.

It was pointless to even try and keep a low profile, as they weren't even close to being the most noticeable people on the streets. He watched as Adelphie seemed to teleport from place to place, an expression of childlike wonder and glee on her face, and chuckled as Priscilla had to forcibly drag her away from a 30-foot tall giant to keep her from pelting him with questions.

The occasional squad of marines that they passed didn't seem to be on the lookout for anything or anyone in particular. Leon thought it was a bit strange that there were so few of them. The Grand Line was the final destination for every pirate after all, and according to Maddy anyone trying to get to Reverse Mountain from the South Blue had to pass through Baterilla.

"They want them in the Grand Line," Priscilla said.

Leon turned his head towards her. "What?"

"Pirates," she said. "They want them in the Grand Line."

Leon felt a shiver crawl down his spine. Both the women on board the Maiden seemed to have a nasty habit of occasionally being able to read minds. As for what she'd said, it didn't really make much sense to him, and his face must have shown it.

"Think about it this way," Priscilla said. "What would happen if they had a couple of task forces posted at every final stop before the Grand Line to keep the rookies from making it through?"

"They'd all stay in the Blues," Leon said. "Most wouldn't even try to run the blockade."

"Exactly," Priscilla said. "Imagine nearly every captain that's on the Grand Line as we speak running around the Blues."

"That sounds... bad?" Leon said.

"Understatement of the year, Blondie," she said. "Pretty much every rookie that's come up for the past half a century has been funneling into the Grand Line. All of them being trapped on that one strip of ocean means that the rest of the world is pretty peaceful, and they're easier to keep track of. The fact that most of them won't even make it to the halfway mark is just a plus."

The sound of Adelphie's voice made its way to them, and Leon snorted as his eyes met the most ridiculous sight they'd seen all month.

Priscilla's own eyes widened as she caught sight of Adelphie attempting to start a conversation with what appeared to be a talking rhinoceros. She dashed over, yelling her head off as she went. "Dammit, Ginger! Don't talk to the Sermocorns. They won't leave you alone for hours!"

Leon turned as he felt a tap on his shoulder.

"You ready?" Viccy whispered.

Leon grimaced. "Are you sure about this?"

Viccy sighed impatiently. "We've been through this already. This is the last time we'll see land for a month. I don't want to spend my time carrying around shopping bags and telling the Doc she looks  _ok_..."

"But what if we get kidnapped again..." Leon said.

"It'll be fine. I'm carrying a baby transponder this time," Viccy said, patting his vest pocket. "Quit being such a bitch."

Leon looked over at Priscilla, who was currently in the middle of a philosophical debate with the talking rhino. Hadn't she been the one that said not to talk to them?

"I just don't want to deal with her once she finds out we ditched her," he said

"Leon," Viccy said, resting a hand on the blond's shoulder. Leon raised an eyebrow. Viccy hardly ever called him by his actual name.

"Over the next few years, I'll face challenges that will bring me to my knees. See horrors that no man should ever have to see. Fight battles that any sane man would run away from. And where'll you be the entire time?"

"I'll be fighting too, I guess?" Leon said. That much should have been obvious already. He didn't understand where Viccy was going with this.

"Exactly," Viccy said. "You're one of the most hardcore guys I know. Are you really going to stand here, right now, and tell me that all it takes to handle you is a pretty face and a big sword?"

Leon looked Viccy dead in the eyes. There was absolutely no hesitation in his response.

"Yes," he said.

"But you're coming anyways right?" Viccy said. "You wouldn't let me wander around here alone would you?"

Leon sighed and hung his head a bit. "Yeah..."

He could blame it all on Viccy later, either way.

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

"-and at that point the choice becomes irrelevant. Stab them in the stomach or stab them in the neck," Priscilla said. "No matter which you chose, the result is the same."

"But what about the receiving party," said Toughsnout the Sermocorn. "The result may be fixed in your own mind, but to them, a quick death or a slow and painful one would mean quite a lot."

"Who cares about them," Priscilla said. "That leads back to Sengoku's Philosophy. No matter who you are, protect your own and disregard your enemy. Isn't that right Liz?"

Priscilla waited in silence for several moments before she began swiveling her head.

"Liz?" she said. "Blondie?"

She activated her eagle's eye, but couldn't spot them anywhere in the crowd. Panic began to well up in her throat, and she instinctively reached for her blade.

"Calm down," Ollie said. "They're fine."

Priscilla snapped her gaze to Ollie, who visibly recoiled. "Ollie..."

"They snuck off almost a minute ago," he said hurriedly, flinching at the sound of his own name. "They said something about  _Manstands_?"

Priscilla began seeing red, and her eyes began glowing brightly enough to overpower the broad daylight. Anger seemed to roll off of her in waves.

"So instead of telling us, they think it's a good idea to run off and almost give me heart failure?  _ _Again__?"

Her eyes began scanning the ground, looking for telltale signs of the boys' departure. She grinned viciously as she spotted the distinct imprint of flat soled cowboy boots winding down a dirt alleyway.

She began making her way forward, intent on vengeance, before Adelphie appeared in front of her.

Priscilla attempted to sidestep her, only for Adelphie to reappear directly in front of her again, her arms crossed and a disapproving glint in her eye.

"Get out of the way, Ginger," Priscilla said.

"Why? What are you going to do if I let you pass?" she said.

" _ _If__ you let me pass?" Priscilla snorted. "There's not much you can do to stop me, Love. And I'm just going to wring their necks a little." She attempted to sidestep Adelphie, only to be thwarted again.

"Why are you always falling back on violence?" Adelphie said. "That's probably why they left without saying anything."

"YOU TAKE THAT BACK!" Priscilla yelled.

At this point, there was nobody within a 50-meter radius that wasn't listening in curiously. Ollie placed his face in his hands as both women began to raise their voices way beyond reasonable levels.

"Are they always like this?" Toughsnout asked.

"Not always," Ollie said. "But usually..."

"You have my sympathies."

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

Leon felt something as he gazed at the statue in front of him. A strange sense of acknowledgment that he simply couldn't place. The man the statue was depicting wasn't all that impressive. He was reasonably muscular, decent looking in a freckly sort of way, and the cocky grin immortalized on his stone face told you just about all you needed to know about him.

Viccy leaned over and read the inscription at the base of the statue. " _ _In Memory of Portgas D. Ace, whose sacrifice was a catalyst for the Revolution. His homeland will remember.__ So he died huh..."

Leon shifted around to look at the people around them. Several dozen people were crowded around the base, attempting to get a look at it. Most of them were obviously pirates.

"Was this guy really that major?" Leon said.

Leon felt a sudden chill go over him. He wasn't the only one either. Everyone in the crowd became silent and looked around in confusion.

The deep, gravelly voice with a strange lilting accent that resounded over the silence sent chills down his spine. "A pirate that don't know the name Portgas D. Ace? Never thought I'd see the day..."

It was a Fishman. The only part of their body that wasn't covered by a thick cloak was their head.

Leon grimaced a bit as he took them in, but it wasn't due to their appearance. In fact, this Fishman seemed to be more human-like than most of his brethren. Only his mildly unnerving slitted eyes and the gills on his neck gave his true heritage away.

But there was something about his aura that put Leon off. It wasn't necessarily malignant. Just unsettling, in the same way as when you're sure somebody's staring at you and you turn around to find yourself alone on the sidewalk in the middle of the night. Of course, whenever that happened back home chances were that it was just  _ ** _ **Them**_**_ playing their usual pranks.

"I didn't get out much as a kid," Leon said.

While he didn't feel any malintent coming from the young Fishman, he wasn't taking any chances. He kept his hands close to his revolvers. Viccy walked up beside him and adopted much the same stance.

Leon began looking around again. He noticed at least one person, a tall, dark-skinned young man with dreadlocks, keeping an especially close eye on the situation, probably ready to jump in should the need arise. Everyone noticed the atmosphere tensing, and gave them a wide berth.

The Fishman smirked and held up his hands in a gesture of peace. "Settle down, Mate. I didn't mean no harm."

Leon relaxed himself a bit. "What's with the creepy aura you're putting out?"

The Fishman threw his head back and laughed, showcasing his fangs. "If I could get rid of it I would," he said. "I'm stuck with it for life. Makes it right gnarly to find a decent woman."

"Well, that sucks," Leon said.

"You're tellin' me," the Fishman said. His eyes squinted as he seemed to notice something. "Say, you blokes look familiar..."

 _"_ _ _Ah, shit...__ _"_ Leon thought.

He began tensing up again, preparing for the worst. Having this guy proclaim to everybody in the streets that there were 40 million berries walking amongst them probably wouldn't end very well.

The Fishman extracted a hand from inside his cloak and placed in on his chin as he inspected them. His fingers were long and thin, almost delicate looking.

His concentrated expression changed to one of delight within an instant. "Cobber!" he yelled. "Get your arse over here!"

The man with dreadlocks that Leon had noticed earlier made his way to them. He looked between Leon and Viccy, obviously sizing them up.

"What?" he said simply.

"I'll tell ya ' _what_ ', Mate," the Fishman said. "It's the blokes on them posters we got a couple weeks ago. What were their names? Spicebreath and Gold Locks?"

Viccy's eye twitched upon hearing his epithet.

The Fishman turned towards them in a flurry of excitement. "Say, where's your captain?"

Viccy and Leon looked at each other in confusion, having trouble processing the complete 180 that the situation had taken.

"What do you mean?" Viccy asked.

"Y'know," the Fishman said. "The crazy lookin' gal with the white hair."

"Priscilla? She's not the captain," Viccy said. "I am."

The Fishman looked confused for a few moments before his cheery expression returned. "Oh. I just assumed... Well, never mind. You three have the highest crew bounty of any rookie crew in the South Blue. That'll change once our bounties are posted, though."

"You're a Pirate?" Viccy asked.

"Yeah," the Fishman said. "Name's Brennan Emil."


	11. Death's Door

Leon felt a strange sense of comfort as he walked through the doors of the Cracked Barrel. It reminded him a lot of Selda's bar back home, from the rowdy patrons to the oddly spotless front bar. The only things missing were the bloodstains on the floorboards.

The young bartender looked them over as they approached, pausing especially long on himself and Emil. "What are you fellas having?" she said, giving each of them a smile and adding a little wink in his case. Leon grinned back and saw Viccy clench his jaw a bit out on the edge of his vision. He wouldn't consider himself vain by any stretch, but he reveled in the obvious jealousy that Viccy put out.

Emil flashed a fanged grin and banged his hand on the counter. "Gimme four handles and a bottle o' Devil's Black."

Viccy's face drained of color.

Leon sympathized with his friend. His first experience with alcohol had been rigged in a rather underhanded way, but at the same time, it was hilarious seeing him so panicked.

"Umm... Sir?" the bartender said. "Devil's Black isn't meant to be taken straight."

"I'm aware o' that, Love," Emil said. "But you can get so much more outta life by doing things the way they aren't meant to be done from time to time."

The bartender frowned at him. "The only thing you'll get out of this is getting drunk off your rocker..."

Emil gave a wide grin and threw his hands in the air. "Exactly! I'm glad we understand each other."

The young woman seemed to debate internally for a moment before rolling her eyes and reaching below the counter. The clatter of tankards on the bar and the swish of the dark liquid being poured seemed to break Viccy out of his flashbacks. His discomfort didn't go unnoticed by Emil.

"You alright, Mate?" he said chuckling. "Don't tell me ya can't hold your grog."

"I... had a bad experience a few months ago," Viccy said. "I think I remember a horse getting involved at some point? Anyway, It's not something I'd want to do again."

"And Cilla's probably going to kill us if she finds out we snuck away to get drunk..." Leon added. "She might kill us either way..."

"Ah come on, Mate," Emil said. "Who said anything about getting drunk?"

 _"You_ did," the bartender said. "Not ten seconds ago."

"Every time you open your mouth it cuts into your tip, Love," Emil said.

He turned back towards Viccy and Leon. "You don't have to if you don't wanna, obviously. Just remember I'm spending my money on it."

And with that said, he paid for the drinks, grabbed a tankard, lifted his head back and slugged the entire thing. Cobber followed his example, leaving both Viccy and Leon gaping like goldfish.

Leon gazed down at his own tankard apprehensively. He had drunk alcohol before of course, but he had never had anything this strong. The fumes alone were almost enough to make him gag. He and Viccy looked at each other, having a quick unspoken conversation. Eventually, they both nodded and raised their tankards to their mouths, each taking a swig.

Leon reeled. The liquid itself had a pleasant, smoky taste. Unfortunately, it was completely overpowered by the sensation of 180 proof alcohol burning its way down his throat. He clenched his eyes shut and fought to keep himself from coughing. As he cleared his watering eyes, he glanced over at Viccy, who was sitting unnaturally still.

"Spice?" he said uncertainly. Viccy turned his head to look at him. He seemed just as confused as Leon.

"Are you alright?" Leon said.

"I'm fine," Viccy said. He placed a hand at his throat and rubbed it a little. "That should have burned."

"No shit..." Leon said.

"Well it didn't," Viccy said. "I kinda like it actually."

Leon flinched as Viccy raised the tankard to take another big swig, swishing the contents around in his mouth.

He stared as Viccy downed the rest of it in one gulp. "Weren't you completely blasted that time Selda shoved a few shots worth of that stuff down your throat?"

"That's what you told me," Viccy said. "I can't really remember much of it..."

"You think maybe your Devil Fruit has something to do with this?" Leon said.

"Oh yeah," Emil said. The liquor seemed to have as little effect on him as it did on Viccy. The hand that he pointed at Viccy was steady and his slitted eyes were as intense and unnerving as ever. "I heard about that fruit o' yours. You're some kind of magic gecko Zoan, right?"

Viccy's eye twitched.

"Dragon," he said irritably. "A flying, fire-breathing, ice-chucking, gas-spewing dragon... Where the hell do people get gecko from? Is that some kind of shitty running gag?"

"Dragon? That'd be a Mythical Zoan, right? That's pretty neat," Emil said. "They're even rarer than Logias from what I hear."

"So what's  _your_  deal," Leon said.

"My deal?" Emil said.

"They say you took down some big shot pirate crew, but nobody knows how," Leon said. "The Marines haven't even been able to get a picture of you..."

"Oh. That..." Emil said. He leaned back in his chair and began rubbing the back of his neck, looking a bit uncomfortable. He seemed to resign himself and began rummaging inside his cloak, pulling out a photograph and setting it on the bar.

Leon looked at it and immediately recoiled. The bartender, who had been eavesdropping curiously, leaned over and looked at the photograph herself.

"Whoa! What the hell is that?!" she yelled.

The photograph showcased a strange shadowy being in the vaguest shape of a man. But that was where the similarities ended. The thing was twisted and warped beyond anything that could be considered natural. A Cheshire grin stood out clearly against the outline of a head, the creature's sharp teeth adding an extra sense of menace to the image. But the most noticeable part of the photograph were the creature's eyes. Slitted and molten gold in color, they seemed to pulsate with a malignant glee, even through the still photograph.

"It's a picture o' me," Emil said as he refilled the tankards. "Taken two days after I ate the Fear Fear Fruit."

"That's  _ _you__?" Leon said incredulously.

"Yeah. It's how I turn up in any picture," Emil said. "Gave the marines trying to take one o' me a nasty shock, I reckon."

"What does your Fruit do?" Viccy asked. "Besides make you a freaky ghost thing."

Leon jumped when he heard Cobber's voice. He had almost forgotten the man was there.

"It makes him a monster..." Cobber said. The liquor seemed to be having a much stronger effect on him than his captain. His dark cheeks were flushed and a slight slur was evident in his words. Nonetheless, he refilled his tankard and drained it again. "The kinda beast that hell itself wouldn't let pass through its gates..."

"Thank you, Cobber..." Emil said, a tick appearing over his eye. "By all means, continue. It's not like I'm trying to make friends..."

"Was tha' sarcasm?" Cobber said, his slur becoming even more pronounced.

"Course it was ya bloody fool!" Emil said. "Put the cup down. You've had enough."

Cobber looked sadly at the tankard that was already halfway to his lips. He almost seemed to have to force himself to set it down.

Emil shook his head and muttered in a strange language under his breath. "Anyway, the name Fear Fear fruit is actually kinda misleading. I can sense any negative emotion in general, physical and mental. Sadness, anger, pain," he said.

His eyes trailed down to Viccy's torso and lingered there. "Weakness."

Leon started. Could Emil know about Viccy's injuries? He actually kind of liked the guy, but he was still far from trusting him.

"I can only directly manipulate fear, though," he said. "Cobber wasn't kidding when he called me a monster. Give me a drop of fear to work with and I'll turn it into a flood."

"What's the catch?" Viccy said.

"The catch?" Emil said, chuckling ominously. "There's always a catch, ain't there? It robs me o' my own sense of Fear."

"Wouldn't that be a good thing?" Leon asked.

"You'd think so, wouldn't ya," Emil said. "But listen here, Mate. There's a reason fear exists. I'd die for my crew, but I don't fear for them. The thought of losing them means nothing to me, even though I know it should. Do ya see where the problem is?"

"That's heavy..." Viccy said.

Brushing all modesty aside, Leon knew that he was pretty courageous himself. But to be able to disregard fear altogether? No matter how bad Emil made it sound, it seemed like it could only be an advantage. There would never be any uncertainty or hesitation to your actions. Of course, no amount of power would ever make him consider eating a devil fruit...

The steady  _ _purupurupuru__ of a ringing transponder snail caught his attention. He looked over at Cobber, who dug around in his pockets for a few moments before holding up the small mollusk. "Tha'll be Eri and the gang. Prolly in some kinda trouble..."

The snail clicked as Cobber answered it, its expression immediately transformed into one of panic. "Cobber. Is that you?" the snail whispered.

"Who else would it be," Cobber said. "Wutchu idiots get into this time?"

"Are...  _Are you drunk_? No... It doesn't matter. Listen, I can't take the time to explain right now," the snail said hurriedly. "Just tell me where you are."

Cobber and Emil looked at each other and raised an eyebrow. "We're in a little pub called the Cracked Barrel," Cobber said. "It's bout 2 blocks east of where we left ya."

"We'll be there in a few minutes. Just... Don't go anywhere." the snail said as it closed its eyes and shut down.

"What's going on?" Viccy said.

"Pirates can never be on dry land without  _something_ goin' wrong," Emil said. "As for what it is? I ain't sure, but I sense feel their fear through the snail..."

"You aren't bringing any trouble here, are you?" The bartender said.

"Hopefully not, Love. No promises though," Emil said.

"Just so you know," Viccy said. "We're not a part of this."

Nearly everybody in the establishment had heard them, and most of them were making a hasty retreat out the door. At this point, there was no doubt that a few squads of marines would be on their way soon.

Once the bar was virtually empty, the door creaked open slowly and a young man stuck his head inside. He was a few years older than Viccy and Leon and was massive in frame. He would have been an imposing sight, had he not been trying sneak into the building as if nobody could see him. The next two were around their age. A handsome one that seemed to be walking around in confusion, and a short one that kept looking over his shoulder every few seconds.

"Bren," the big one said. "We have to leave. Like, right now."

"You'd better have a good reason, Eri..." Emil said.

"You remember that white-haired girl in the bounty posters a few weeks ago? Well. We ran into her, and you know how Jackie is..."

"Oh for fuck's sake, Jack," Emil said, placing his face into hands. "Please tell me ya didn't try your usual routine on her..."

Leon and Viccy looked at each other. White haired girl?

 _"_ _ _Shit__ _,"_  Leon thought, just as the door creaked open.

The shadow standing in the door frame was instantly recognizable. Her blank expression belied the promises of pain and torture that were present in her eyes, which glowed with a cold fury that would have made a Sea King turn tail and run. Caduceus was unsheathed and held loosely at her side, the abnormally sharp blade gleaming evilly.

She ignored Eri's panicked shriek as she scanned the room. Her eyes came to rest on Viccy and Leon, and her previous quarry seemed forgotten as she stalked forward.

Leon was the first to move. He jumped over the counter, ignoring the bartender's yells of protest, and made a mad dash for the rear exit. As his hand reached for the handle and the hope of escape made itself present, he heard a zing over his shoulder.

He turned to see Caduceus whizzing through the air in his direction, the blade slicing through a wooden support column as if it were made of butter. He didn't even have time to flinch before the sword slid through his shirt, nicking his chest and pinning him to the door.

Viccy stood up as Priscilla advanced. While he was  _mostly_  healed, he wouldn't be able to put up a very good fight against her in the state he was in, and he knew it. So, he simply rooted himself to the spot, closed his eyes, and prayed for it to be over quickly. The footsteps stopped in front of him, and he braced himself...

Nothing happened. He stood still for a few moments longer before he cracked his eyes open. Priscilla was standing directly in front of him, her face still morphed into a blank mask.

"Um-" he said.

 __CRACK_ _ _!_

Everyone was surprised at the slap that resounded throughout the room. Even Leon stopped trying to tug the sword out of his shirt for a moment to gape at Viccy rubbing his cheek. It had sounded painful, but against him, it had barely stung. Something that Priscilla surely knew. It seemed that she was more concerned about getting the point across than actually hurting him.

Priscilla turned away from him and back towards Emil and his crew.

"Which one of you was it..." she said.

All of them pointed at the handsome one known as Jack, who upon seeing her seemed more confused than ever. Priscilla began advancing towards him, her palm cupped around her fist and a nearly psychotic gleam in her eye.

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

The trip back to the Maiden was abnormally subdued. Adelphie kept shooting concerned glances at Priscilla, whose face was still an expressionless mask. She hadn't said a word since they'd left the bar.

Viccy and Leon simply stared forward, aware that they had done some amount of wrong, but also feeling like it was an overreaction on her part. Viccy honestly felt like Priscilla had some abandonment issues that she was taking out on them.

Even Toughsnout the Sermocorn, whose kind you normally couldn't pay to shut up, was keeping quiet. He had been kind enough to offer them a ride back, and considering the amount of stuff they had to carry, they had hurriedly accepted the offer.

They still had more than an hours trek, and eventually, the painful silence became too much for Viccy. Besides, if there was one thing he knew about women, it's that they liked apologies. According to his old man anyway.

He twisted around to face Priscilla, who was sitting at the back in front of Adelphie. "Hey, Doc. About earlier-"

Priscilla held up her hand. "Stop. I don't want to hear it." She seemed to struggle with herself for a moment before taking a deep breath, her shoulders rising and falling in rhythm. "Just... Don't do it again."

Adelphie smirked and patted Priscilla on the head, who scowled and jammed her elbow into the Adelphie's ribs.

"Ow!" Priscilla yelled, lurching and rubbing her own ribs. She turned around and stared incredulously at Adelphie, who only smiled innocently.

"That's bullshit!" Priscilla said. "What else can you do?!"

Viccy felt a tickling sensation from his coat pocket.  _Purupurupuru_ the snail rang out. Viccy looked over at Ollie, to whom he had given the only other baby transponder snail they had earlier that day. Ollie shrugged his shoulders.

Viccy tugged the little snail out of his pocket and answered it.

"Hello?" he said.

The snail's face morphed, becoming oddly sharp and robotic looking, but recognizably feminine. "How much time will take you to get back here?" it said.

"Maddy?" Viccy said. "Why? What's going on?"

"A Flotilla of Navy ships pulled in a few seconds ago. Some of the other pirate ships in the harbor have engaged, but they won't last."

"That's impossible," Priscilla said. "There's only single elements patrolling these waters and the bulk of the South Fleet is all the way in Briss. What task group are they attached to?"

"How should I know?" Maddy said. "Just get over here. N-" The snail clicked as the transmission was cut off, and it closed its eyes and returned to sleep.

"Well then..." Viccy said. "What are our options?"

"Run there?" Leon said.

"That would take me about 10 minutes," Priscilla said. "Even more for  _your_  lazy asses..."

"I could fly the three of us there," Viccy said. "Ollie and Adelphie would have to stay behind, though."

"Good," Priscilla said. "They don't have records yet. If we die out there, then at least they go free."

"Really appreciate that propitious outlook of yours, Doc..." Viccy said.

"She  _is_ pretty reckless," Leon said.

"That's  _ _precipitous__ , Leon," Ollie said.

"Is this really the best option?" Adelphie said.

"It's the  _only_  option," Priscilla said. She turned towards their ride. "I'm sorry Toughsnout, but do you think you could move a little faster? Emergency situation and all that."

Toughsnout the Sermocorn sighed. "I'll see what I can do."

Viccy, Leon, and Priscilla hopped off his back and gathered around together.

"Be careful," Adelphie said.

"Err..." Ollie said. "See you later?"

"Don't say it like it's a question, Fuzz," Leon said.

"Fine then. I'll see you guys later."

"Attaboy. Let's go Spice," Leon said.

Viccy grabbed Leon and pulled him in. He hesitated for a second in front of Priscilla, who glared at him.

"Hurry up, Liz. We don't have time for your Cherryboy tendencies..."

Viccy's face flushed like a tomato, but nonetheless, he grabbed the doctor around the waist and began morphing into his hybrid form.

"You're one to talk..." Leon said. "Remember when Hans asked you about-"

"Nobody asked you, Blondie," she said.

Viccy took off, feeling his friends clutch tighter to his clothes. He spared a glance down at them. The doctor's eyes were screwed shut and an almost fearful expression was plastered across her visage. Was she afraid of heights? Viccy's heart began to thump faster and he quickly looked away.

Leon also had his eyes screwed shut, though in his case it seemed to be more to keep the wind out of them than fear. Viccy was suddenly thankful for the nictitating eyelids his dragon form provided.

He burst through the low cloud cover and sped towards the summit of a mountain, the harbor becoming visible as he crested it. He could make out several ships scattered around in it, a couple of which were on fire.

"What can you see, Doc?" Viccy yelled.

Priscilla forced her eyes open and scanned the harbor. "Three  _Kuzan_  class cruisers, five  _Lonz_  class destroyers, and two  _Shelby_  class frigates. Well, only one really, since the other ones on fire... One of the pirate ships is already going down too."

"How's Maddy?" Leon said, scrunching his own eyes and attempting to see what she saw, with little success.

Priscilla grinned as she watched the Maiden unleash a full broadside on the remaining frigate, which went up in smoke. "Giving them hell," she said. "They're focusing on her, though. Could you go any faster, Liz?"

As if to prove her point, the distinct clang of a cannonball striking metal reached them. "Her armor's holding, but the 108lbers on those cruisers will break through eventually."

Viccy obliged, tucking his wings closer to himself and speeding towards the fray.

"FUCK!" Priscilla yelled, holding on for dear life. Viccy suppressed a grunt as his chest twinged painfully. Thankfully Priscilla noticed, as she eased her grip a bit.

"Once more unto the breach, I guess..." Viccy huffed.


	12. Coming in Hot

The smell of burnt gunpowder and cracked wood seemed to seep out of the Maiden's very core. The deck was a mess; pieces of railing and canvas sail were scattered everywhere. A stray round had blown away half the crow's nest, leaving Leon frowning at the loss of his favorite haunt. Thankfully, her armor had kept her hull mostly intact, although there were massive dents in several of the plates.

"Maddy?" Viccy said. There was no answer, although the boom of the cannons below firing another broadside meant the AI had to be online. The trio moved deeper into the ship, heading towards the control room that housed Maddy's systems.

Viccy's stomach churned a bit as he opened the door. The AI hated it when anyone except Ollie entered. Fortunately, the handle didn't turn scorching hot or hit him with a painful shock.

"You three took your time getting here," Maddy said through the built-in speaker on the control panel.

"It took three minutes..." Viccy said.

"That's about 170 seconds too long," Maddy said.

Arguing with the AI probably wasn't in Viccy's best interest at the moment. She was even more stubborn than Selda if that was possible. "What's the damage?"

"They managed to put a round through the transmitter in the crow's nest and the onboard comms are busted," Maddy said. "I can't lower the sails without them being torn to shreds, so I'm having to rely on the secondary propulsion system, which burns through Spicygas like crazy. I have ten minutes left tops. And two of the starboard cannons are out."

"Any good news?" Priscilla said, grimacing.

"Yes actually.  _You're_  here now," Maddy said. "Now get out there and do something about those cruisers. Their main guns will sink me eventually and I'm sure that's something we all want to avoid..."

"Why are they even here?" Priscilla puzzled out loud. "Protocol is to avoid direct confrontation and protect civilian assets. What's changed?"

"I'm sure we can figure that out another time," Maddy said. "Preferably when I'm not getting shot at with nine-inch cannonballs..."

The trio was thrown off their feet as the ship tilted dangerously; Viccy managed to ram his face into the control panel and push several of the buttons. Water began to pour from the fire sprinklers in the ceiling as the entire ship vibrated, and he slipped in a puddle as he tried to stand up. The sound of "Happy Birthday to Priscilla" blared through the speaker.

Maddy sighed as she shut off all of the systems Viccy had turned on. "What the hell was that?" he asked as he got to his feet – he did it a lot more carefully this time.

"A nine-inch cannonball..." Maddy said. "If this room wasn't soundproof, all of your eardrums would have ruptured."

"What are you smirking at?" Leon asked Priscilla. The young woman had been grinning goofily since the moment she had stood back up.

"The little fuzzball remembered my birthday was next week," she said.

"Wait... What?" Viccy said.

"GET OUT OF HERE AND DO SOMETHING USEFUL!" Maddy yelled.

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

"So what's the plan?" Viccy said.

"We get in there and kick their asses," Leon said.

"I don't think that qualifies as a plan..." Viccy said.

"There's not much else we  _can_  do," Priscilla said. "Just drop us off on a ship and we'll ride it out from there. Two of those idiots from back in that bar are on another cruiser as we speak, so they should handle that one.  _You're_  going to stay up here and do your whole pyromaniac shtick, but be careful. You're still not 100%."

Viccy flew low over the water towards the nearest cruiser. It was an impressive thing. It had to be at least 80 meters long, and it sported several lighter guns in the lower deck.

The real threat, however, came from the two massive 108lber main guns mounted on turrets up top. They fired a round capable of downing a giant. As if the cannons weren't bad enough, a number of marines swarmed over the deck like ants, taking aim and firing at him as he approached. The sound of more and more bullets whizzing past set him on edge. A lucky hit managed to catch him on the cheek, throwing his head to the side as it sparked off.

"You guys alright?!" he asked.

"DIVE!" Priscilla yelled. Viccy reacted immediately, closing his wings and sending them plummeting towards the water. A round from the cruiser's main guns whizzed over them, the draft causing Viccy to lose control for a moment. The shot struck its intended target, another pirate ship, and knocked off its figurehead along with a massive chunk of its bow.

"We're coming in hot!" he yelled. Adrenaline was beginning to kick in, and he could barely feel the twinge in his chest from all the exertion. The dragon inside him was stirring, its natural love of battle becoming apparent as he began to grin. The bullets barely stung, and his vision of the world around him became sharper. He could see every detail on the Marines faces as he closed in. He relished in their shock. Basked in their fear...

Viccy snapped out of his trance. A red mist that he hadn't even noticed was there disappeared from his vision. He was a little disturbed by what had been going on in his mind, but he would have to deal with that later. They were upon the ship.

"You ready?" he said.

"Not really..." Leon said.

"Too bad," Viccy said as he dropped them. Honestly, he misjudged the distance a bit, but he did have bullets whizzing past him and the sound of a battle over his shoulder, so he felt like he should be forgiven.

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

Newly transferred Private First Class Suki of the Marine Cruiser  _URS Dunisia_ had many regrets in his life. Somewhere along the line, he had gone from a young and naive recruit eager to do his part for the new order, to the bitter ball of living resentment that he was now. He blamed Owen of course. Everything had started going wrong the moment he had been assigned to the man.

Now, as he saw the two people that had been haunting his nightmares for the past several weeks hurdling noisily towards him - the white-haired death, in particular, was screaming  _unspeakable_  things at the top of her lungs - he resolved that if he somehow survived until tomorrow, he would change. He would become a man that the young Suki from years past would be proud to know.

He was at peace when leather soled boots entered his field of vision. He was still at peace when his head collided with the deck, flinging wooden splinters in every direction. He was unconscious when Leon and Priscilla got to their feet, nursing their various bruises.

"I'm gonna fucking kill him..." Priscilla growled as she rubbed her behind.

"Not if I get to him first..." Leon said, flexing his back and flinching at the audible pops. His eyebrow rose as he noticed the body he was standing on, and he stepped off, poking it with his toe to see if it was still alive. "Jeez. I think we knocked a few of this guy's teeth out."

The marines around them were finally breaking out of their shock.

"Hold it!" one of them yelled, pointing his rifle at them. From then until the day that he was an old man, the marine would wonder what exactly had happened in that instant.

Leon's golden revolver was back in its holster before the marine's limp form even hit the floor.

Priscilla already had several bodies at her feet. Caduceus gleamed as its spine struck marine after marine. She was as fast and agile as a cat. Her movements as she danced between her enemies, ducked under bullets, and effortlessly redirected cutlass strokes were bewitching. Leon would have thought it was beautiful. If it wasn't for the trademark maniacal grin on her face...

The entire ship shook as the main guns fired another salvo, and Leon remembered why they were there in the first place. Those guns needed to be silenced. The question was how?

Being a self-proclaimed man of action, he didn't have to think about it for very long. He rushed straight towards the nearest turret, making sure to punch a few marines in the face along the way. He began stretching out his shoulders and rubbed his hands together in preparation. A few of the marines around him realized what he was about to do and went wide-eyed.

"You can't be serious..." one of them said. "That turret weighs over three tons."

Leon grinned as he placed both of his hands on the barrel and pulled. The marine's eyes grew wider and wider as the sound of straining steel and rivets popping began to reverberate throughout the ship. In the backs of their minds, they knew that they should probably be attempting to stop him, but every single one of them could only stand frozen like a troop of sea-roaches caught with the lights turned on.

Leon's face grew red from the exertion. Sweat beaded on his brow. His legs screamed out in protest from the strain. Nevertheless, he plowed on, and as the final rivet popped and the gun came free from the deck, he whooped triumphantly. His celebration didn't last long.

 _"_ _ _I need to work out more,__ _"_ He thought as his knees buckled. He wouldn't have it in him to do the same for the other gun. So what could he do?

As always, the answer came to him almost instinctively. He threw the turret in his hands at its pair. The Marines eyes followed its progress through the air. The ship shook as iron struck iron; the impact forced the turret to spin out of control.

The auto-loader chose this exact moment to finish its task, and the gun fired. The marines jaws dropped as the cannonball tore through both of the ship's masts, carving out half of the first floor of the command tower as it went.

One of the masts teetered comically before dropping straight onto the offending turret, crushing it instantly. Leon's jaw dropped almost as low as the Marine's did at the display of dumb luck.

"Nice job, Blondie!" Priscilla yelled.

"Er. Yeah..." Leon said.

At this point, most of the marines on board the ship were under varying degrees of unconsciousness. Their ship was dead in the water.

The second cruiser was still in operation, although judging by the spreading fires on board, they wouldn't last much longer.

The last cruiser hadn't fired a shot in minutes, and wouldn't be doing so anytime soon as most of the crew had thrown themselves overboard. Every single one of their faces was a mask of terror as they paddled away from the ship. The ones that  _could_  swim anyways...

The four pirate ships that remained were making quick work of smaller destroyers, which were in a full rout. The battle was effectively won.

The marines that remained were sandwiched between someone that had managed to take down the majority of a veteran crew and someone that had crippled a massive warship in the span of 10 seconds. As the demons began to advance on them, they dropped their weapons to the ground. Not one of them displayed any form of panic, however.

"Now that's more like it," Priscilla said. "Where's the CO?" Her sword was raised in their direction; none of them thought it looked very friendly. One marine pointed tentatively towards the command tower.

"I'll check it out," Leon said. He moved two steps before the sound of cracking wood reached him. The tower teetered precariously, too damaged to support its own weight. It collapsed all at once in a spectacular puff of dust and wooden debris.

Priscilla turned back to the marines, her face twisted into an annoyed scowl. "Ok... Where's the XO?"

"That's me," one of them said. A marine stepped forward. A large man with a steady gaze and an even steadier voice.

"Name?" Priscilla said.

"Lieutenant Commander Braves," he said.

"Well, then Braves. In the uh...  _absence_ of your Captain, you and I are going to have a little chat."


	13. The Big Marine That Could

The scene when Adelphie and Ollie finally made it to the beach was nothing short of ridiculous. The sun was disappearing over the horizon, the waves lapped lazily against the sand, and dozens of Marines were tied to trees along the shore. The Maiden and four other pirate ships were careened on the sand looking much the worse for wear. Ollie winced at the damage.

A large crowd of pirates was formed in a circle around Priscilla, who was shouting obscenities at a small man dressed in a dusty trench coat; not to be outdone, the small man was shouting back almost as loudly. It didn't make much sense to Adelphie, who could have sworn he was shouting something about his toes. Both of them were being held back by Leon and a young fishman.

They caught sight of Viccy some distance away, seemingly lost in thought. Unlike with the others, Adelphie had no way of sensing his emotions. She had yet to tell anybody, but something was actively blocking any attempt at reading the young man. Her gift simply wouldn't work on him. Of course, it wasn't exactly difficult to figure him out. He was an open book. And right now, she could tell that he was troubled.

"What am I looking at..." Toughsnout said, stopping in front of the crowd.

Priscilla stomped on Leon's boot and wriggled free of his grasp as he hopped around in pain. She dashed forward and flung her fist directly into the small man's nose. He and the Fishman restraining him were sent flying, slamming into several pirates on the way out. That was all the excuse the crowd of pirates needed, and within moments a massive brawl was underway.

"An average Wednesday," Ollie said as a bullet zipped past his ear.

The fight showed no signs of stopping anytime soon - in fact, it seemed to get even more chaotic as a few Devil Fruit powers began to get thrown around. Adelphie found herself sighing, already planning to have another chat with Priscilla about controlling her temper.

She almost didn't notice the cold feeling welling up in her chest.

It was faint at first - as if someone had dropped an ice cube down her throat - before it exploded like a proverbial dam. Her entire being was flooded with a sense of inexplicable dread. It took several seconds of concentration for her to flush the ghastly feeling out of her system. Most of the fighters stood frozen in place, a few of the weaker willed ones going so far as to collapse into puddles of their own sick. Even Toughsnout couldn't suppress a shudder.

A scathing voice rose over the silence, feral and predatory. It said only a single word. "Enough."

The young Fishman that had been sent tumbling through the crowd earlier was on his feet, more annoyed than anything else. He sighed and placed his hand over his face, and just like that, the menacing cloud was lifted as suddenly as it had appeared.

"We won't accomplish nothing by killing each other," he said. "If what the gal says is true, we got us a few days max. We either work together to get outta here, or we all cark it." He pointed out towards the sea, where several marine vessels were drifting around with no crew aboard to man them. "There's our ticket out. Some o' you will drag those ships onto land. Some'll strip em down. Some'll grab a hammer and nails and go about patching up your kegs." Nobody moved for a while. It wasn't until Emil released a bit of his terrible aura that the pirates began scrambling to their feet. Captains began shouting orders, tools were extracted, and in some cases created on the spot, and the sound of hammers on wood soon rang throughout the beach.

Ollie shook his head, attempting to clear his thoughts as he hopped down off of the Sermocorn's back and made his way over to Viccy.

"You feeling alright?" he asked. Viccy snapped his head up, startled by Ollie's arrival. Ollie's eyebrow rose in concern as he sat himself down in the sand. Socially inept or not, he could tell that something was wrong with Viccy if he wasn't even paying attention to his surroundings.

"Yeah. Why wouldn't I be?"

"I don't know. You look like you're thinking. Thinking isn't really something I associate with you."

"I'm not sure how I'm supposed to feel about that..."

"It's was a joke," Ollie said.

VIccy raised an eyebrow, trying to find any sign of amusement in his friend's face. He never found it. "Oh... I don't think  _intentional_  humor's ever gonna be your strong suit, bud."

Ollie shrugged, agreeing with him for the most part.

Priscilla and Leon emerged from the crowd. They seemed to be in high spirits judging by the way they bounced around on the balls of their feet. A certain someone had once again managed to get herself splattered with blood. Viccy sighed and gestured towards her. "Why?"

Priscilla grinned and placed a hand on her hip. "It's not mine."

"That's not what I'm worried about..."

"Oh, they'll be fine. Intestines are pretty pliable."

Somehow, nobody felt reassured.

"You missed a hell of a scrap, Spice," Leon said as he smacked Viccy on the shoulder. "Some of those guys are really strong. Emil's weird cloud thing still gives me the creeps though."

As Leon's hand made contact with him, Viccy's wince was so small that he almost didn't notice it himself. Nothing escaped the doctor's eyes, however. A green glow pierced the gloom as she looked over at the young man.

"I'm fine, Doc," he said. His cheeks tinged a slight pink as Priscilla came up to him and placed her hands on his sides.

"How did this even happen?" she said.

"How did what happen? I'm just a bit sore."

"You have microfractures on three of your ribs." She pressed down to emphasize the point. It hurt a lot more than he was expecting.

He attempted to pry Priscilla's hands off of him, to no avail. "That's probably from when I got tagged by one of the cruiser's light guns," he said. "Could you stop pressing so hard?"

"The lightest guns on a  _Kuzan_  class are 36lbers," Priscilla said, her eyes narrowing accusingly. "I told you to take it easy."

"This coming from a girl that just started a riot?"

She finally released her hold on him and stood up, her arms crossed over her chest. "This and that are two different things," she said. "You'll have to let that heal on its own. Meaning you're going to be out of the action for the next few days."

Viccy's eyes widened as he realized the implications of what she'd said. Was he actually expected to sit here and watch the others fix Maddy? Vicente Carver didn't  _do_  inactivity. That's what he told himself anyway. "That's bullshit and you can't make me."

Priscilla bent down until she was at eye level with him. She had to admit that he lasted longer than most people would under her gaze, but in the end, the result was the same. He broke eye contact and looked away, his face flushed in annoyance. "I'm pretty sure I can, Lizardboy."

She stood up and looked down at him imperiously. "And if you don't do as I say, cracked ribs will be the least of your problems," she said as she stalked away toward Adelphie, who was harassing an uncomfortable looking Emil.

Leon snickered before sitting down beside his friends. "That was real smooth,  _Captain_."

"Shut your whore mouth, Bimbo. It's not like  _you_  can handle her any better."

A dull thump and a yelp rang out as Leon slammed his elbow against Viccy's ribs. "That's for dropping us from the moon, jackass," Leon said, a small grin on his lips.

Viccy's legs tensed and flames leaked from his mouth as he prepared to launch himself at Leon. Just before he committed, he felt a murderous aura train itself on him, strong enough to make sweat bead on his brow. Viccy slowly sat back down and settled for a death glare.

Ollie remained silent throughout the proceedings, watching and filing away his crewmates' interactions for future reference. He always found their squabbles worth watching. A more pressing matter weighed him down though, growing by the minute as he watched the other pirate crews dash back and forth like madmen. "What's all the panic about?"

Leon grinned and pointed at the Marines tied down further along the shore. "Turns out we're all gonna die in a few hours if we don't get out of here in time."

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me, Fuzz. According to Lieutenant Commander Graves over there-"

"It's Braves!" shouted a voice from a nearby tree.

"Whatever. According to  _him,_  orders were to hold up anything heading to Reverse Mountain from Baterilla. None of them would tell us why, but I'm guessing they're trying to stop something from getting to the Grand Line. All of us were just caught in the wrong place at the wrong time."

"So what's the problem?" Ollie said. "You beat them didn't you?"

"Weren't you listening, Fuzz? They weren't expected to beat us. They were supposed to  _hold us up._ "

"Meaning?"

"Tora's coming."

Ollie's eyes widened in shock. The little that was known about the Marine Admiral in command of the 1st Fleet came from the legends left behind wherever she set foot. Ollie had always found most of them hard to believe. Taming a giant Sea King that could swallow entire countries, being named the heir apparent to two different kingdoms, saving an island in the sky from collapsing to the ground. There was even a rumor that she was the illegitimate daughter of Issho, the current Commander-in-Chief of the Republic. If the stories weren't complete bogus, they had to at least be exaggerated. One thing that  _was_  a fact, however, was that she had never been known to leave the Grand Line.

"We need to get out of here," Ollie said.

"Are you really a genius?" Viccy asked.

Ollie stood up and walked over to the Maiden, running his hand along her hull. Despite obviously having been struck the most times, she was the least damaged of all the ships on the shore. Ollie couldn't help but feel a bit proud. Both of himself and of his ship. "I take it her comms are damaged."

"Do you hear any nagging?" Leon said.

"No?"

"Well, there's your answer!"

Ollie took another moment to study the Maiden. "I can fix her comms and the transmitter once we're out at sea. There's nothing we can do about the damaged cannons and armor plates for now though. It'll be a patch job, but we can get her seaworthy by morning."

"Anything I can help with?" Viccy asked.

Ollie looked over in Priscilla's direction, where she had joined Adelphie in antagonizing Emil. He seemed to be taking both the curiosity and blatant suspicion in stride, all things considered. Priscilla snapped her eyes towards Ollie, as if she could somehow sense his gaze. He quickly broke eye contact and turned back to Viccy.

"No," he said.

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

Viccy couldn't help but feel like they were forgetting something. As the hours passed and he watched his crewmates work on the ship from further along down the beach, prying off dented armor plates and replacing damaged planks and sails, the feeling only got stronger. He knew for a fact that it was important, and it ate away at him like little else had throughout the course of his life.

Halfway through the night, he was no closer to figuring it out. It as only when he began to feel a dull thrum through his body that he halted his thought process. He was among the first to feel it, but pretty soon heads were lifted from their work all along the beach. The answer to his dilemma hit him like a freight train.

They had completely forgotten about Baterilla's local Marine Garrison. The dull thrum was the sound of hundreds of soldiers sprinting in unison.

The few pirates whose captains had the foresight to post lookouts came sprinting out of the trees. All of them shouted the same thing. "The Whitecoats are coming!"

The pirates had barely begun to move before the first rounds started flying. It was the perfect ambush. The sound of bullets whizzing past sent nearly everyone diving for cover, and in the chaos, the marines began pouring from the trees. Even though they were trying to kill him, Viccy thought it was a rather majestic sight. The Marine's white uniforms shone in the moonlight, their faces were set in defiance, intent on rescuing their comrades. A deafening war cry rose up, accompanied by ringing steel as swords and bayonets were raised. The marines that had been tied up began to scream encouragement at the tops of their lungs. It was like something straight out of a movie.

Many a man would have panicked and been a sitting duck in this situation. These men, however, were pirates. The shock wore off quickly, and they began answering the Marines' challenge in earnest. The crack of rifles and the clashing of steel echoed around the mountains as the two forces collided.

Viccy was intent on joining the fray, no matter how much yelling the doctor would do later. Too much was at stake here. Standing up and shaking himself off, he rubbed his eyes in an effort to clear the drowsiness from them, having been awake almost a full day at this point. He caught a glimpse of a large round object as he opened his eyes, just before it conked him in the head.

_Crack_

The impact left him stunned and seeing stars, and it took some time before he cleared his head enough to wonder what had hit him. He turned around to look at the object roll through the sand, coming to a halt as it struck the hull of one of the other pirate ships nearby.

A small trail of smoke floated away from the object, originating from a small cord stuck into it.

 _"Son of a bitch."_  was Viccy's only thought as he instinctively morphed into his hybrid form.

The bomb exploded, carving out a large chunk out of the ship and setting ablaze its magazine. The second explosion was heard for miles as the several tons of powder went up in smoke. Viccy was thrown from his feet and sent tumbling through the air, along with everyone within a 30-meter radius of the explosion. The terrain zipped by, faster than he could perceive. The dull blur of sand was replaced by the green blur of trees, and he felt as if he was smashing into every branch and bramble on the island. His thoughts were blanked as he collided with the ground, landing painfully on his wing before bouncing up into the air again, continuing his crazed tumble through the jungle. It ended as his head was rammed into a tree trunk.

Viccy took a moment to process what exactly had just happened. No matter how he sliced it, his position was ridiculous. Here he was, one of the most wanted men in the South Blue, hanging off of the ground with his horns stuck inside a tree. And to top it all off, he knew for a fact that his right wing wasn't supposed to be twisted upside down like that... If anybody saw him like this, he'd die from the shame.

He placed his hands on the trunk and pushed. His horns didn't budge. He pushed harder. The only thing he accomplished was to make pain flare up in his skull. If he pushed any harder, the horns would end up snapping right off, and he doubted  _that_  would be a very pleasant experience. If that was the case, there was only one thing to do.

He looked down at the ground. His vision spun a bit as he realized how far up he was. The ten meters to the ground were a long way to fall...

He clenched his teeth and morphed back into his human form. As the horns disappeared from his head, he plummetted straight down, rolling to his side in order to protect his injured ribs. The landing was a lot softer than imagined - the ground was soft and covered in what was probably decades worth of leaf litter - but he still had to suppress a yelp as his shoulder hit the dirt.

Viccy shook himself off and stood up, looking around to get his bearings and rubbing the new bruise on his shoulder. Judging from how faint the sound of battle was, the blast had to have thrown him at least a kilometer. He morphed back into his hybrid form, looking over his shoulder and inspecting his wing. While changing forms seemed to have popped it back into position, it still throbbed painfully and was impossible to move.

" _Maldita sea_ ," he muttered to himself. It seemed like he was going to have to  _walk_ for once.

He made it about ten paces before the smell of blood assaulted his nose. There wasn't any time to react to the bullet that tore through the brush, hitting him straight on the nose and sparking off.

"Tch." The sound of a huff came from near the ground, too quiet for anyone without enhanced hearing to pick up.

This was all Viccy needed, and he launched himself forwards towards the source, bringing his fist down directly where his attacker's head should have been. His arm sank up to the elbow in the soft dirt.

Viccy looked up from his kneeling position and found himself staring into a pair of brown eyes, currently crinkled in frustration. He recognized the young man; It was Lieutenant Commander Braves. Judging from the numerous bruises and gashes covering his body, he had to have been carried along by the same explosion that had launched Viccy into the jungle. Braves was clearly made of sterner stuff than he let on, as not just anybody could have survived a tumble like that.

More concerning than the man himself, however, was the pistol he was training on Viccy's head.

The sound of a second bullet clattering off of Viccy's neck made him flinch. His red slitted eyes narrowed in irritation as he stared at Braves. "I don't have any weak spots, Bud," he said, rubbing his head in an attempt to ease the ringing in his ear. He yanked his arm from the ground and stood up. More shots rang out as Braves unloaded the rest of the magazine into Viccy.

"Are you done?" he asked, crossing his arms. "I'll just be on my way then..."

Braves didn't give a response. He simply pulled another pistol from beneath his coat. It was an odd looking thing, much closer to the older designs from fifteen years ago than the more modern weapons the Marines now used. Something about it seemed off, and it radiated with an unknown sura that put Viccy on edge. Regardless, it was a gun. And he was bulletproof. "You can't beat me, Braves. No matter how many times you shoot me," he said as he walked past the marine.

Time seemed to stand still for Viccy. He heard the shot ring out, but for some reason, there was no clang as the bullet ricocheted off. Just a shattering sound and a small shove that made him stumble forward a step. He stood there, confused.

"You're still alive? Those scales of yours must really be something..."

The realization that he had actually been wounded struck Viccy. The bullet had hit him in the middle of his back. Surprisingly, it wasn't all that painful. The fact that he'd been shot didn't shock him nearly as much as the effects that it was having. His horns receded into his skull, his wings shrank and his scales softened and turned to plain old skin. He became fully human again. "What did you do to me?"

"Seastone bullet. Custom made by yours truly," Braves said, his face a mask of impassivity, though there was also a hint of triumph written in there somewhere. "Rather not have had to use it since I only had the one. But no more gecko powers for you."

Viccy turned around, crossing his arms over his chest. "What the hell is your problem, man?"

"Pardon?"

"Do you just shoot everybody that walks in front of you?"

Braves seemed taken aback for a moment. "If they're pirates, then yeah. I guess... It's kind of my job, you know."

"You could have killed me."

"That was the whole point..."

Viccy sighed and placed his hands over his face, coming to terms with the fact that he would probably be dead if it weren't for his scales. While the seastone had apparently nullified whatever made them as resilient as they were, they were still metallic in nature, and seastone was as brittle as glass. The bullet had shattered on impact, but small shards of seastone had made it in between the chinks in his scales. Just enough to nullify his Devil Fruit.

"So now what? I'm not bulletproof anymore. But you're out of bullets..." he said, gesturing to the discarded pistol on the ground.

Viccy barely had time to duck under the fist aimed at his head. Stooped under Braves' arm, he threw a jab at his exposed stomach. Braves avoided it expertly, leaning forward and rolling his torso with the punch. Viccy jumped backward, putting some distance between himself and his opponent.

The enhanced senses that he had come to rely on and take for granted were gone. This didn't bode well. Without his powers, it came down to a battle of pure skill and natural strength. Braves was at least a foot taller than him, incredibly fast for all that muscle, and - judging from his stance - he was a seasoned martial artist.

An angry voice in the back of his head seemed to prod him to not back down. He told it to shut up. "Look, man. I'm just trying to get back to my folk," Viccy said. "I'm sure we can work something out."

Braves moved forward slowly, his arms kept at the ready. Viccy backed away, placing his owns arms in a similar position. They continued, one advancing and the other retreating, right up until Viccy felt his back press against a tree.

 _"Shit_." He thought.

Braves flew towards him. Viccy dove to the side in a panic. The blow that missed him was powerful enough to reduce a chunk of the tree to splinters. Braves pressed forward, unleashing a barrage of punches and kicks that steadily pushed Viccy back, keeping him on the defensive. Viccy didn't have time to think about anything else besides avoiding the next strike. Braves' size gave him a massive range advantage, meaning Viccy would need to get in close if he wanted to turn things around. He saw his opportunity when Braves threw what looked like a wide roundhouse kick. Viccy braced himself, putting his arms to the side in order to catch his leg.

Right before the impact, Braves did something that Viccy had never seen in his life. He angled his knee towards the ground mid-kick, managing to keep his balance and switching targets from Viccy's sides to the back of his leg.

Braves' foot struck the soft flesh in the back of Viccy's knee, bending the leg forward involuntarily. One part of Viccy's mind registered that the fight was over, while another part seemed to scream in rage.

There was nothing Viccy could do from his kneeling position. His arms came up instinctively to defend his face from the follow-up. For a moment, there was nothing. No pain, no thought, and no worries. Just a blinding flash of white and a pleasant floating sensation. As his vision began to clear, he became aware of the pain. Sharp and stabbing, as if someone was attempting to drive a handful of screws into his lung. He could barely spare a thought for his throbbing knee or the blood streaming from his nose.

The blow had thrown him backward into a tree with enough force to snap his already damaged ribs. His breathing was ragged and shallow, and any attempt to stand up turned the screws in his lungs into burning hot daggers. There was nothing to do but watch as Braves approached. As he looked towards the tower of a man that had so easily handed him his ass, Viccy began to feel true fear for the first time since he could remember.

But the closer he got, the more the fear was overpowered by something else. Something even more primal. Viccy could once again sense the dragon inside of him attempting to claw its way to the surface. He doubted he could have controlled it on his own this time around. As ironic as it was, he was thankful for the fragments of seastone still embedded in his back. He could feel the dragon's rage coursing through his body, urging him to stand up. To fight. To kill. To rip his enemy limb from limb.

He could do none of those things. As Braves closed the final few meters between them, Viccy wondered what his idea of justice was. Would he kill him on the spot? Would he simply arrest him and put him in front of a jury?

Regardless, Viccy locked eyes with Braves, staring at him with a defiance that wasn't his own.


	14. Night at the Beach

Priscilla curled her lip at the wretch before her. Commodore Eisen - said to be the greatest Marine Swordsman in the South Blue. The fool was arrogant enough to believe it too... She'd personally met swordsmen far more skilled than he, that didn't go around trumpeting how great they were.

Still, that didn't mean he wasn't dangerous.

She ducked as his broadsword sailed over her head, slicing a few stray hairs from her ponytail. The blade changed direction and plunged towards her chest. She flicked her own sword to meet its advance, the heavier nodachi pushing aside the broadsword with relative ease. Both blades pressed against each other and the broadsword stabbed the air over her shoulder harmlessly.

Sparks flew as she slid Caduceus down the length of the broadsword, pushing her body in close enough to ram her elbow into Eisen's stomach. He staggered backward as Priscilla raised her sword over her head, her eyes glinting as she readied the final blow.

Eisen raised his sword in an attempt to block. Priscilla flashed a grin as her sword came down.

Sparks flew, and a resounding clang echoed. She found herself looking straight into Eisen's dull brown eyes. Sweat was pouring down his brow and his whole body seemed to vibrate from the force of her strike, but he was still very much alive. She raised her eyebrow questioningly at her sword as if to ask it why it had decided to spare the fool's life.

It was only now that she paid any real attention to the broadsword. The craftsmanship was incredible. The blade held a simple charm to it, lazily reflecting the light of the multiple fires around them. Ivory inlays streaked down the hilt from the guard to the pommel, which was inset with a large diamond. Unlike its master, the sword barely shook when it was struck.

Eisen pushed her sword to the side, retreating hastily and recouping his stance. Priscilla flicked Caduceus onto her shoulder and watched him scurry to safety.

"A Meito," she said.

Eisen's face lit up, his inner narcissist coming to the surface - apparently forgetting that they were trying to kill each other. "You noticed, did you? Yes, this is the Skilled Sword Sultenhai, one of only 3 broadswords forged by Grand Master Tawkins of the East Blue Smith's Guild. Cost me a pretty berry to get a hold of this one. Notice how the fuller of the blade is..."

Priscilla lost interest. She instead began surveying the battlefield. On the other side of the beach, Emil and his lackey were fighting Vice Admiral Iron Will, an absolute giant of a man that had command over the Baterilla Garrison. Although, "fighting" was pushing it a bit. She couldn't help but grin as she watched Emil being blown straight through his own ship. Old Will had been around since Roger's time, and never once had he sacrificed his own ideals for the twisted sense of justice the Pre-Reform Marines used to follow. It was something that had gotten him in trouble with the Brass on more than one occasion. The men under his command virtually worshiped him, and she knew perfectly well why. She almost pitied the fool that had to fight him.

"Dammit!" she heard Leon yell from some distance away. "Stay still you little shit!" The massive  _boom_  and flash of white that followed were familiar. The ground exploded nearby as Vindication's round struck the sand, sending both marines and pirates flying in every direction. The idiot really needed to watch where he pointed that thing. His opponent was Commodore Rex, a small man that was known for his speed. She chuckled at Leon's frustrated expression, which twisted his normally handsome features into an almost childlike pout as he struggled to draw a bead on Rex.

Worry began to build in her chest when she couldn't spot Liz or the Fuzzball anywhere. She hoped that Adelphie was with them. Even with that silly pacifistic attitude of hers, she was a force to be reckoned with.

For all the bodies on the ground and the bullets whizzing through the air, the battle didn't seem to be going in anyone's favor. She had a feeling that the deciding factor would be Emil's fight with Iron Will. While she was still apprehensive about the Fishman, he was hands down one of the strongest combatants here. If he fell, then it would be on her and Blondie to take on Will, and to be completely honest, she wasn't sure that they could beat him. She wasn't even sure if she could bring herself to fight him at all...

"-from a rare kind of chrome rich steel present only in the-"

"That's enough, Buddy," Priscilla said, holding her hand up. "Let's just get this over with. I have more important things to deal with than you."

Eisen looked as if someone had forced a shot of Devil's Black down his throat. Priscilla hefted Caduceus from her shoulder and advanced, ignoring his indignant sputtering.

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

"Could ya stop tossing me at my ship, ya old geezer?" Emil said as he pulled himself from yet another hole made in the hull of the Sharksbane _._

Iron Will didn't make any response. Unless you counted backhanding Cobber hard enough to send him tumbling straight into his captain as a form of communication.

"It's not looking good, Bren," Cobber said as they attempted to untangle their limbs from each other.

"Times like this, I remember why I keep ya around..." Emil said, shoving Cobber off of him.

"My dry wit and smashing good looks?"

"Oh for fuck's sake..." Emil pinched his nose with his fingers, fighting against his steadily growing migraine. "Stop messing around, Cobber. This is serious."

"I'm not messing around. If you didn't notice, he's kicking my ass just as hard as he's kicking yours. You're supposed to be the guy with the plan. Think of something."

"We need to figure out his weakness," Emil said.

Cobber began clapping slowly. "Fucking brilliant, Captain."

"Shove it up your arse."

Emil hopped down from his ship and stared in annoyance at Iron Will. The Vice Admiral was made of some pretty mean stuff. None of his usual tactics worked. It seemed that the old man didn't fear monsters, marriage, starvation, death, or even spiders. Emil couldn't help but respect him. Still, the only man in the world that was truly fearless was himself.

There was a small puff of sand as Cobber landed beside him. "Nothing for it, then?" he said as spikes began protruding from his elbows.

"Nope. Until we figure out the Geezer's fears, we'll just have to keep him at bay." Emil said, gesturing his hand forwards. "You can go first."

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

The world seemed to stand still around Leon as he put every ounce of his being into lining up the shot. He grinned as the as the sights aligned themselves over his obnoxious little target, giving just the right amount of lead. He pulled the trigger, confident that his opponent couldn't evade.

The rifle kicked into his shoulder, the recoil strong enough to sink his boots several inches into the sand. The projectile sped through the air, its white aura lighting up that night around it. It went straight towards its intended target... Who promptly came to a halt and watched the round sail past him harmlessly, a smirk on his lips as the light from the round cast shadows across his face.

Leon was ready to start pulling his hair out in frustration. This was the third time that he had missed. No matter how well he placed the shot, the annoying little man always managed to avoid it at the very last moment.

"Having a spot of trouble there?" the little man said.

"Shut up, Tex," Leon said.

A vein popped out on the man's forehead. "It's Rex..."

"Whatever floats your boat, Rick."

Rex launched himself at Leon, who barely had enough time to bring up his rifle to block the blow. The sheer speed and momentum with which Rex struck him jarred his entire body and pushed him backward several meters through the sand.

Rex was directly in front of him, his elbow still in contact with Vindication. Leon didn't waste the opportunity. His hand flashed towards Severance, his silver revolver. The weapon gleamed in the firelight as the hammer was pulled and the cylinder rotated. A faint click resounded as the hammer fell into place, and Leon squeezed the trigger.

For a moment, it looked as if Rex would finally be hit; as the pin struck the primer and the shot flew, Rex twisted to the side. The round sailed harmlessly into the distance, its only casualties being a couple of palm trees that it tore through.

A frustrated Leon brought his knee forward. Much to his surprise, he connected with Rex's stomach and pushed the man off of him. His eyes widened in realization, finally understanding how Rex's abilities worked. A wicked grin appeared on his visage, setting Rex on edge.

"What are you smirking at?"

"I was just thinking that your stumpy little legs look funny when they're moving that fast," Leon said. The grin was still plastered on his face as he placed Severance back in its holster.

Rex's face twisted in outrage. "They're not stumpy. Don't you start with that too."

"Fine. I won't make fun of your height..." Leon said. The blotchy red on Rex's face began to recede as he relaxed a little.

Leon's wicked grin widened. He opened his mouth to put the final nail in the coffin. "I couldn't stoop that low..."

The air around Rex seemed to shimmer as his whole body turned a burning shade of red. A little part in the back of Leon's mind worried that his gamble might fail, but he ignored it like he always did. Leon flipped Vindication on its end and grabbed the barrel in both hands as Rex charged. All Leon saw was a white and red blur and a massive trail of sand that was kicked up. All Rex saw was a gold-plated rifle butt and white stars as it was swung into his face. The crack of wood against skull was heard across the entire battlefield.

Leon stood over his opponent, grinning widely as he placed his boot on Rex's chest. "Home Run," he said, hoisting his rifle on his shoulder.

A nearby pirate scowled at him as he ran past. "That was fucking awful."

"Nobody asked you, Extra."

Rex stared up at Leon, his hands nursing the large cut on the side of his face. "How?" he said.

"I noticed you only reacted to the bullets  _after_  they left the barrel. I've heard of people like you. You train your reaction times until they're down to a split second to keep up with your speed," he said. "Problem is, you neglect anything that you  _don't need_  split second reactions for. I'm guessing you've never fought anyone that you haven't blitzed in the first few moments. Either way, it's over."

Another massive crack was heard as Vindication's stock was rammed into Rex's skull. "Better luck next time, Rob."

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

Viccy's lip curled as Braves approached him. A snarl escaped from his throat, guttural and feral. It startled him that he could even produce such a sound. He felt like a cornered animal, unable to do anything but wait and raise his hackles as a more dangerous predator slunk closer.

The dragon inside him could rage and squirm all it wanted. It was completely powerless with the seastone embedded in his body. He was glad for that little detail; he doubted he would have been able to retain control of himself on his own, and Usopp wasn't around to stop him this time if he lost it. His thoughts drifted back to the city of Cimbalo. It had been made almost entirely of highly flammable looking wood.

He wondered why this was happening to him. Did every Zoan user go through something like this? He shuddered as he realized that every Zoan that he knew of was perfectly matched to their animal. Dalton the stoic bison. Pell the patient falcon. Jabra the wannabe alpha wolf. Did the fruits affect their personality in some way? He didn't want to become some angry maniac with a thirst for blood and destruction. He already had one of those on the crew, and dealing with her was a pain.

He was so lost in his thoughts that he almost didn't notice Braves kneel down in front of him. He let out another snarl.

"Am I going to have to put a muzzle on you?"

Viccy didn't say anything. He stared at Braves with as much venom as he could muster. The man remained unphased. "I hereby take you into custody, where you will be judged, and if found guilty, sentenced for your crimes, yadayadayada. I have full authority to take your life if you resist."

He removed one of the metal chains draped over the shoulder of his uniform and grabbed Viccy's arms. He grit his teeth and suppressed a roar of pain as his broken ribs poked at his lungs. Braves paid him no mind, entwining the chain around his hands and twisting the ends into place. "Don't bother trying to break them. These things could hold a full grown Carab Cat in place."

He grabbed Viccy by the shoulder and hauled him to his feet. Viccy didn't even try to suppress the roar this time. He leaned against the tree, trying to place as little weight on his injured leg as possible. He growled as Braves shoved him forward. "Get a move on."

They began walking through the jungle, going at a snail's pace due to Viccy's heavy limp. He could only assume that they were going back to the beach. The thought gave him some hope.

"It'll probably be over by the time we get there," Braves said as if he read his mind. "You won't win. Not with Iron Will there."

Viccy didn't bother asking who that was. It was irrelevant to him. They walked for a few more minutes before Braves spoke again. "You a God fearing man?"

The question seemed out of the blue. Viccy turned his head back and looked suspiciously at Braves. "Why are you asking?"

Braves gestured at the cross necklace lying exposed on Viccy's chest, which had popped out from under his shirt during their fight. He reached his hands up and tucked it back into safety, wincing at the pain in his bruised shoulder. "Not really. My ma gave me this when I was a kid."

"You still  _are_  a kid..."

Viccy snorted, immediately regretting it when his lungs twinged painfully. "You can't be more than a couple of years older than me."

"More than a few years wiser though..."

They shuffled along in silence for a few more seconds before Viccy finally asked him something that had been eating away at him. The impossible strike that had taken him down. "How did you do that kick?"

"You'll have to be more specific. I kicked you a few dozen times."

"You know what I'm talking about..."

Braves smirked. The first real human display of emotion that Viccy had seen from him. "You're not a bad fighter yourself. Where did you learn your moves?" he said, dodging the question.

Viccy grimaced at Braves' uncooperativeness' he would figure it out on his own eventually.  _If_  he got out of this mess... "Black Dragon Martial Arts," he said.

"Never heard of it. Where is it?"

"A little place nobody here's ever heard of. Atlanta."

A heavy silence dropped over the two, and Viccy looked behind him when he realized Braves had stopped walking. The pained look on his face indicated that he was trying hard to remember something. "Atlanta..."

His eyes widened in shock, and his eyes snapped to Viccy. "Are you-"

Viccy waited for him. It took a moment for him to realize that Braves wasn't going to finish his sentence. His eyes were glazed, staring in Viccy's direction, but they clearly weren't seeing anything. Viccy went up to him and waves his cuffed hands in front of his face. Still nothing.

A form popped into existence beside Braves. Viccy yelled out in shock and fell backward, blacking out from the pain for a moment as he hit the ground. He knew who it was as he opened his eyes and stared at the little piece of night sky visible through the canopy, even before the red hair and silver eyes moved into his field of vision.

"I guess we're even now..." he said.

"I guess so," Adelphie said, smirking as she crouched over him and prodded his ribs.

"Agh!" he said, flinching away and making the pain even worse. "What the hell was that for?"

"You broke your ribs," she said.

"Really? Didn't even notice..."

"Your nose is bleeding."

"Really? Tell me more..."

A new voice piped up from behind the brush. "Cilla won't be happy about that..." Ollie stepped out from the leaves, his eyes covered with a pair of odd-looking goggles. He was followed closely by the Sermocorn they had befriended, whose steps he now realized were oddly silent for such a massive creature.

"How did you even find me?" Viccy said. He flinched again as Adelphie placed her hand on his chest. Warmth seemed to seep out of it, and he sighed in relief as the pain he felt across his entire body lessened. She then placed her hands on the strange metal chain around his hands. There was a flash purple light, and when it receded, Viccy was free.

Ollie tapped the goggles on his face. "Not as good as Cilla's eyes, but it was easy enough to track you. You left a pretty big trail when you went flying..."

Viccy lifted himself off of the ground, only to fall to his knees again as his leg gave out from under him.

"Careful," Adelphie said, slinging his arm over her shoulder and helping him up. "I only lessened the pain. Your injuries are still pretty bad."

"What about Braves?" he asked. Enemies or not, he had begun to feel a strange connection to the young Marine. He had a feeling that this wouldn't be the last time they met.

"He'll come to in a few hours and wonder how you disappeared out of existence," she said as she helped Viccy clamber onto Toughsnout's back.

"Thanks, buddy. We all owe you a lot," he said.

"Oh don't worry about it," the Sermocorn said as Ollie and Adelphie clambered aboard as well. "I've no love for Marines. Adelphie here is an excellent conversation buddy as well. Most people won't even greet my kind in the streets you know. They're too afraid that we'll chat their ear off if you can believe it. Why, there was once a time when I was walking down Lucia Avenue around midday, and-"

Adelphie turned back to look at the frozen Braves as they set off towards the beach. A troubled look marred her face. She had been unable to use her empath abilities on him, same as with her young captain. She turned forward and stared at the back of Viccy's head. She had a feeling that more was going on here than she would ever understand; she absolutely hated that feeling...

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

Emil sputtered as he yanked his head out of the sand and attempted to clear it from his mouth. He grunted as a massive boot tore into his chest and lobbed him several meters into the air. He sighed as he landed on his back and stared up at the night sky, reluctant to stand up again. He laid there until he heard the dull thump of a boot striking someone else's body and the hiss of someone else plowing through the sand.

"It's not looking good, Bren," Cobber said as he slid to a stop beside him.

Emil said nothing. He was reaching the end of his rope. It was obvious at this point that they didn't stand a chance in a straight up fight with the old Vice Admiral. He seemed to react to incoming blows and projectiles even before they were thrown. Emil had never seen anything like it before. They hadn't been able to even scratch the man. On the other hand, Will had no trouble landing blows on them. The numerous cuts and bruises on both of their bodies and Emil's currently useless left arm attested to that. They wouldn't be able to keep this up for much longer.

Emil stood up and turned to Cobber. "Mate, if we don't make it outta this one, I just wanted you to know... What are ya laughin' at?"

Cobber began to chuckle even louder. "Your arm looks funny flapping around like that."

Emil's eye twitched, and a vein appeared on his forehead. Emil considered himself to be a very patient man, so he tried to control himself. He really did; in the end, he grabbed Cobber with his working arm and flung him bodily towards Will.

Cobber took advantage of the situation, even while yelling in panic. Spikes began protruding from every part of his body, and he spun around in the air, becoming a whirlwind of flailing limbs and pointy bits. Emil expected Will to dodge as nonchalantly as he always had. Instead, he stretched out his massive hand and batted away the deathball that was Cobber as if he were a fly.

He landed a few feet from Emil, groaning in either dizziness or frustration. Perhaps both. "It's not looking good, Bren," he said as he stood up.

Emil's eyes narrowed as he looked at the small trail of blood coming from Will's right hand. A crooked grin appeared on his face, twisting his mildly unsettling features into something that was downright alarming. "No, Cobber. It's lookin'  _very_  good."

"You're making that face again, Bren. We talked about this."

"Never mind that," he said. "Look at what's behind the geezer."

Cobber did as instructed. He seemed confused for a moment before a devilish grin appeared on his own lips. "I was wondering why he didn't just avoid me. What a guy..."

Behind the old Vice Admiral was a single wounded Marine splayed out on the sand. If Will had moved out of the way, Cobber's deathball would have plowed straight into him.

Emil hadn't wasted any time upon coming to this realization. Already his powers were at work. Will was staring directly ahead of him, his eyes crinkled in confusion at something nobody besides himself could see. Emil heard him speak for the first time. He had a powerful, commanding voice that sounded intimidating even if it was currently wavering. "What's going on?"

"You know the drill, Cobber," Emil said.

"Yeah, yeah... Just hurry up."

Emil closed his eyes and became completely still. Several meters away, Iron Will froze in place as well.

Cobber crossed his arms and sighed impatiently. The irony of this situation was that he had to guard both of Emil  _and_ Will, since killing one would kill the other when they were linked like this. He wasn't entirely sure what happened during the times when Emil brought the brunt of his powers to bear against a single person, but it usually ended with his opponent twitching on the ground and frothing at the mouth. He recalled the last time this had happened during their battle with the Steel Hooks. He doubted Steel Hook Salm would ever be the same man...

Cobber turned to look at Emil. He was taking much longer than usual. It made sense, he supposed. They had never faced anyone quite like Will. But the press of the battle raging around them was making him nervous. A single stray bullet was all it would take...

Several more seconds passed before Emil opened his eyes. He blinked, looked around in confusion, and then promptly collapsed into the sand, where he once again lay staring up at the sky. A tremor was felt around the beach as Will fell to the ground as well, his two-ton frame kicking up a massive cloud of dust and sand.

"Bren?"

Emil didn't say anything for several seconds. The only indication that he was even alive was the steady rise and fall of his chest. "Cobber?" he said, almost whispering.

Cobber kneeled down beside his captain. "Yeah?"

"I couldn't break him, Mate."

"I know. I'll finish this," he said, standing up to his full, considerable height. The Marines that had witnessed their leader falling were already beginning to swarm to his defense. "You stay here and... Play dead I guess..."

"I can't move..."

"Perfect. Should be easy for you then. You already have the dead fish eyes too."

Cobber heard him begin to swear up a storm as he walked away toward the fallen Vice Admiral, who was already beginning to stir. Over a dozen marines stood in his path, and he grimaced at the thought of having to kill them all.

Relief washed over him every single one was launched several stories into the air by what seemed to be a massive wave of sand.

"Having some trouble, Cobber?" Eri said as he and the rest of his crew marched up to him.

Cobber grinned. "Where the hell have you idiots been?" he said as Marines began raining down from the sky.

Eri and Jack turned towards their smallest crew member, who was completely soaked in seawater and doing his best to avoid eye contact with anyone. "Yeah, Paul," Jack said. "Where have we been?"

"I made a mistake ok..." Paul said in a hushed tone. "Can we all just get over it?"

"Of course not. I'm holding this one over you til the day you die."

"You're one to talk," Cobber scoffed. He jammed his finger into one of the many massive bruises covering Jack's face, eliciting a yelp and leap backward. Cobber laughed and directed them towards their fallen captain. "Have a look at him, Eri."

Eri didn't seem to believe his eyes for a moment. "Did he lose?"

"More of a stalemate, I guess. I doubt he'll be moving for a while, so look after him."

The crew grunted their affirmations and set off. "Where the hell have you idiots been?" he heard Emil yell.

Cobber resumed his walk towards Iron Will, who had already regained enough strength to prop himself up on his elbow by the time Cobber reached him. Even while staring at his approaching death, the man remained steadfast.

It was a shame really. Cobber didn't want to kill him, but they needed to rout the Marines; something that would be impossible while someone like Will was still alive and kicking. A man like him could inspire a sinking ship to plug its own leaks and keep fighting.

With a heavy heart, Cobber willed a bone spike out from his palm and plunged it towards the soft flesh of Will's neck. In that instant, a blur of crimson entered his sight, along with the harsh glint of steel. He heard a loud clang and was blinded momentarily as sparks flew from beneath his hand. As his vision cleared, the outline of a sword made itself visible. The wielder had managed to stop his spike in its tracks using the very tip of the blade, mere inches from Will's neck.

His eyes locked onto the sword's owner, and the first thing he noticed was a pair of familiar green eyes glowing in the shadows. Unlike the first time he had seen them, they didn't hold any anger. Simply a warning. One that he understood perfectly.

This didn't change the fact that Will had to die. If she was going to stand in his way, then so be it. Bone spikes began appearing all over his body as he grit his teeth and readied himself for another fight.


	15. The Vice Admiral

Priscilla's mind raced. She was confident that she could match Emil's first mate blow for blow if it really came down to it, but that didn't take the rest of his crew into consideration. At any moment Cobber could call them over or one would just happen to glance in their direction. There was no way she could take on all four of them. Whatever she was going to do, she had to do it fast.

She was so focused on what was in front of her that the faint click of a cocked revolver over her shoulder almost made her jump out of her skin.

"Cobber. I like you and all, but I'm not above putting a slug between your eyes."

"Blondie," she said breathlessly. She could have hugged him in that moment.

Leon flashed her a grin. "Hey Ci- Why are you soaked in blood?"

Priscilla felt her annoyance make a comeback. Any and all gratitude she felt towards Leon evaporated in that instant. "We're in a battle, you idiot."

"Well yeah, but... It looks like you bathed in the stuff..."

"Are you fucking kidding me? We have a few hours to get out of here or we all die, three of us are missing, I'm having a stare down with one of the Emil Pirates, and  _that's_  what you're worried about?"

"I just wouldn't feel comfortable talking to a mass murderer is all," Leon said, rubbing the back of his neck. "And where'd you get that new sword? It looks like it's worth a fortune."

Cobber watched the exchange with an air of disbelief. They were so preoccupied that they didn't even notice when he retracted his spikes and crossed his arms, an incredulous grin on his face. He waited several seconds, but their back and forth argument didn't show any signs of slowing down. He cleared his throat and placed a hand on the back of his head, beginning to feel a bit uncomfortable. "Normally, I'd leave and kill you some other time..." he said. "But time is something none of us have..."

Priscilla scowled as she turned back to him. "You're still here?"

Cobber's eye's widened, and his voice raised a full octave in pitch. "Where am I supposed to be?!"

"Just buzz off, Pincushion. Let me talk to the old man." She turned and grabbed Leon by the sleeve, shoving him towards Cobber. "You too."

Cobber's eyes were the size of dinner plates at this point. He would have stood there in shock for who knew how long, but Leon gripped his shoulder and led him away. "Come on, Bud. Give her some space."

Cobber didn't even struggle as he was ushered away. "What the hell is her problem?"

"Ha! If you think this is bad, you should see her a couple of weeks from now. Every month, without fail..."

Will himself had remained silent throughout the whole episode. As Priscilla met his eyes, a wave of nostalgia passed through her. Suddenly, she was a little girl again, marveling at how someone as awe-inspiring as Will could exist. He seemed a force to be reckoned with even while lying sprawled in the sand. "Uh... Hey Vice Admiral..." she said, averting her gaze and hating herself for it. Truth be told, she had been hoping to avoid any contact with him.

"I thought it was 'Old Man' now..." he said, managing to finally sit up.

"Sorry," she said, still looking at the ground.

Will let out a sigh. Whether it was exasperation or something else, she couldn't tell. The silence seemed to stretch out for ages, even though it was only a few seconds. She almost flinched when he spoke again. "It's good to see you again, girl. Even if the circumstances are... less than ideal."

The corner's of Priscilla's mouth tugged upward, independent of her control. "Bullets. Blades. Bodies. Could be worse."

Will looked her up and down, his brow crinkling in disapproval. " _Is_  there a reason that you look like you bathed in-"

"I got a little carried away, ok!" she said. "Don't you start too."

"Eisen, I presume," he said, gesturing towards the ornate broadsword hanging at her waist.

"He'll live," she said. "If he's worth his rank anyway..."

There was another pause, during which Priscilla finally forced herself to look Will in the eye. He was as stoic as ever, but there was something else in his gaze. She could predict almost word for word what he would say next. No doubt the veteran Vice Admiral would be less than ecstatic about her defecting and joining a pirate crew.

"Priscilla," he said. She braced herself, knowing she was about to be chewed out. There were very few people in the world that she would tolerate this from, and even fewer whose words could actually affect her. Old Iron Will just happened to be one of them.

"Are you happy?"

She cocked her head to the side, confusion written across her face. "Huh?"

"Are. You. Happy?" he repeated slowly.

Priscilla looked down at her own feet, seemingly lost in thought. There was no doubt on her face as she looked up and locked eyes with Will again. "Yeah."

He smiled. It was a warm, genuine smile, but it was impossible to miss the hint of sadness in it. "I'm glad. That's all I've ever wanted for you. But a  _pirate_? Really?"

She just shrugged, once again unable to meet his eyes.

"Your mother's worried sick, you know."

Priscilla's gaze hardened and her mouth twisted into an ugly scowl. "All she ever does is worry. It's not like she's ever actually done anything..."

"She did the best she could, girl."

"She didn't do anything at all!" Priscilla yelled. She could feel Leon's gaze on her from some distance away, but she couldn't bring herself to care. The most she could hope for was that he would keep the awkward questions to a minimum. She took a deep breath to calm herself before speaking again. "Tell your men to stand down, Vice Admiral."

Will's gaze was as steady as ever. "You know I can't do that."

"They can't win without you. All you'll accomplish is getting more of them killed."

"I know. It's a decision I'll have to live with. But the alternative..." His eyes darkened and a slight shudder traveled up his body, causing the ground around them to vibrate. "We can't let you or anyone else leave, Priscilla. I hope you-"

_Thwack_

Will's entire body went limp as Caduceus' spine was smashed into the back of his neck. He glared accusingly at Priscilla as his vision began to fade. "You'll end up regretting this, one day."

"It's a decision I'll have to live with," Priscilla said, kneeling down and placing Will's head on her lap to make him more comfortable. "It was nice seeing you again."

"You're just like your mother. You're supposed to say that  _before_  hitting me with things..." he said as he finally faded into unconsciousness. Priscilla looked at him for a few more moments before laying him gently on the ground and making her way towards Emil, who was surrounded by his crew and Leon.

"So you're one of those fishman-human hybrids?" Leon was asking Cobber.

"Yeah. My dad was a lionfish fishman. Bren's a mix too - mostly barracuda - but he's only a quarter human."

Priscilla stalked past them and went straight to the still fallen Emil. "Get up," she said. "I need your help."

"You're supposed to say 'please', Gal," he said from the ground. "Besides, I'm kinda clobbered at the moment."

"It's just mental exhaustion," she said, turning to Eri. "An adrenaline surge will pick him up."

Eri turned towards her. He clearly didn't want to have anything to do with her after witnessing what she'd done to his crewmate back in the city, but his pride as a doctor pushed him to respond. "I know what it is, but unless you happen to have some kind of stimulant shot lying around-"

The next moment passed in a flash. Nobody except Priscilla and Emil knew exactly what happened. All anyone else saw was a puff of sand, and suddenly Emil had teleported himself a foot backward with his one working arm. His luminous eyes were widened into perfect circles as he stared at the nodachi buried in the sand in between his legs, the devilishly sharp blade mere inches from his groin.

"How's that for a stimulant shot," Priscilla said.

It took a while for the pack of men to get over their shock.

"Cilla," Leon said, his face unusually pale. "There's such a thing as going too far."

She ignored him. "Do that stomach ache thing you were doing earlier," she said to Emil.

"My... What?" he said, shaking himself out of his stupor. Priscilla was honestly surprised at how quickly he had gotten over his near castration.

"That thing you used to break up the fight earlier."

Emil was several different kinds of confused for a moment. Then it was as if a light bulb went off over his head. "You mean my Aura Projection?"

"I don't care what you call it," she said, her scowl deepening. "Just do it."

"It won't be nowhere near as strong against this many people," Emil said. "Most it'll do is draw everyone's attention."

"That's exactly what I need," she said, stalking away towards Will's prone form.

"You mind cluing us in?" Cobber said. He went ignored.

They watched her as she went. Emil was annoyed at being ordered around like a toddler; his displeasure was made clear with the slight scowl visible on his face. Slight for him and anybody that knew him, at least. Anyone else would have been terrified by the exposed, needle-sharp fangs and the narrowed yellow eyes. "What an arse..." he said under his breath.

"Hehe. You got that right," Jack said, a perverted grin visible through the bruises on his once handsome face. "What I wouldn't do to get my hands on that..."

"You two realize she can hear you?" Leon said.

Priscilla's form seemed to flicker for an instant, and a loud whistling sound rent the air as a pair of fist-sized stones were sent flying towards Emil and Jack. Emil was easily able to duck in time, and the stone sailed harmlessly over his head. Jack wasn't as lucky. The stone aimed at him had been thrown much more deftly, and it struck the bridge of his nose with a sickening crunch; he was on the ground and out cold in an instant, another massive bruise added to his collection.

"Goddammit," Eri said as he looked at the fallen Jack. "She's done nothing but give me more work since I met her..."

Priscilla reached Will's body and turned back to look at them, glaring extra hard at Emil. He returned the glare, but nevertheless, a feeling of unease began rising inside of the people surrounding him. Pretty soon, the unease turned to trepidation, and then to full blown anxiety. Although Emil had warned that it wouldn't be as strong as the first time, heads began turning in their direction all across the beach, and the sound of clashing steel and whizzing bullets began to die down.

Priscilla filled her lungs and yelled as loud as she could, which it turned out was actually  _very_  loud. "The Marines of the South Blue Auxiliary Baterilla Garrison will stand down! This is my only warning! And if you don't..." Caduceus sang gleefully as she pulled it out of its sheath and pressed it to the soft flesh of Will's throat. She ignored the pang of guilt. She had no intention of actually killing him of course, but the Marines didn't need to know that.

She grinned as swords and rifles began to fall one after another into the sand.

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

Viccy's stomach flipped at the sight of the dead lined up in neat little rows along the edge of the treeline. At least 20 men had fallen on each side, many of them no older than he was. Each one of them had their own story to tell, family and friends that they left behind, memories that they had seeded into those they met. The only thing their stories held in common was the ending. He hoped that they found peace in whatever lay beyond.

He could almost hear the dragon scoffing at him for his display of weakness...

"They tried really hard to stop us..." Ollie said.

"But why?" Viccy said. "What do they gain with this?"

"We'll find out eventually," Ollie said. "They failed after all. We'll all be gone within the hour."

"If you've no more need of me, then I'll take my leave here," Toughsnout said from below them. "It's been ages since I've had a good adventure. I'd like to thank you all. Especially you, Adelphie."

Adelphie's eyes snapped away from where she'd been staring at the rows of the dead. Viccy didn't miss the sadness in her gaze. He realized that she had to have felt it as each and every one of their lives had been snuffed out. "Oh? The pleasure was all mine. It was wonderful to have met you."

The Sermocorn laughed as the trio dismounted from his back. It was a pleasant, rumbling sound - more akin to cascading stones than anything else. "You say that as if we'll never meet again. Who knows. The world is a big place, and my kind has never been able to sit in one spot for very long."

"In that case, until next time," she said.

"Take care of yourselves," Toughsnout said as he walked away towards the city. "This world hasn't gotten any safer over the decades. And give my regards to your little spitfire."

They watched him until he disappeared into the shadows of the jungle. "I've always wanted to be friends with a talking rhinoceros," Viccy said.

The crunch of sand behind them drew their attention. "Turn around, Liz."

Viccy turned around. He was relieved to see Priscilla and Leon safe of course, but there was only one thing he could say upon catching sight of her. "Why are you  _always_  soaked in blood?"

"At least it isn't mine!" she yelled, gesturing to the front of his vest, which was covered in his own blood. "Why are  _you_  always getting your ass kicked?"

" _Tch_ ," he said as she grabbed him and forced him to sit down on some nearby crates. "You try fighting with those eyes of yours closed and tell me how it goes. And where'd you get that sword? It looks like it's worth more than everything we own put together..."

"Spoils of war and all that. That's not really important right now."

"You look like you lost a fight with Toughsnout," Leon said, attempting to prod Viccy in the ribs and having his hand smacked away by Priscilla.

Viccy's eyes glazed over as he remembered Braves' fist slamming into his body. "He definitely hit like a rhino..."

"Snapped ribs, a mild knee sprain, a broken nose, bruising on the shoulder," Priscilla said. "And that's just the worst of it... There isn't anything I can do for you except give you painkillers and let this stuff heal on its own. You'll be doing a whole lot of no-"

"We just happen to have a walking painkiller right here," he said, gesturing at Adelphie.

Adelphie smiled apologetically at him. "It would permanently damage your nociceptors if I kept numbing them. Sorry, Viccy. You're on your own."

Viccy blanched as he saw Priscilla grinning in the corner of his eye. "Did you hear that, Liz? You're on your own. I take it you don't need me to spell out your options..."

He seemed to deflate before their very eyes. "No... I'll be good."

"You and that couch in the rec room are going to be getting really well acquainted over the next couple of weeks," she said, showing off her canines in a wide grin.

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

The reactions as Tora walked along the beach were many and varied. Awe, curiosity, fear, and even a little disappointment here and there. She wasn't sure what they had been expecting. Probably some kind of five-meter tall monster by the looks on some of their faces... They were whispering their first impressions to each other with the idea that she couldn't hear them.

" _Is that her?_ "

" _She's a lot smaller than I thought she'd be_ "

" _She's beautiful..._ "

Tora perked up a bit when she heard the last one. Her goofy grin must have been pretty noticeable; her lieutenant chose to chastise her for it. "Ma'am, could you please be serious for once? This is your first appearance outside of the Grand Line. First impressions matter."

"They can believe whatever they want about me, Lieutenant," she said. "At the end of the day, what they see is what they get."

The lieutenant sighed heavily. "And that's where the problem lies for all of us, isn't it..."

Tora playfully cuffed her lieutenant on the back, sending him face first into the sand. "Love you too, bud," she said. She turned around and began giving orders to her entourage. "Private Losky and Private Kraft, start untying all these bozos. Chief Corpsman Welks, see about the injured. There's more than you and the medics here can treat, so I'll need Corporal Gram to get back to the ship and send the rest of the medical team over. Send a message to HQ while you're there. Tell them we were too late. Lieutenant-"

The lieutenant struggled to his feet and stood at attention, reveling in his COs rare display of authority. "Ma'am!" he said as his comrades scurried off to fulfill their orders.

"Who's in charge around here?"

"The local garrison commander would be Vice Admiral Will. He has 4 courts-martial on charges of insubordination to his name. You'd like him..."

"Do you see him anywhere?"

"Well, his file says he's 5 meters tall, so..." The lieutenant pointed at a five-meter tall man some distance away, bound in what looked to be a heavy anchor chain. "That one maybe?"

"I'll take your word for it," she said as she made her way forward. Will kept his eyes locked on her the entire time. Something about the old man immediately endeared him to her; he was old and grizzled, but somehow let out an aura of danger like some ancient, hibernating bear.

"You must be Admiral Tora," he said, testing the waters. He was obviously hoping that she was a by-the-book type. "They informed me you'd be coming."

Tora giggled as she knelt down in front of him. "Did they cram that stick up your butt before or after they got the chains on?"

Will let out one of the most defeated sighs she had ever heard. "Not  _another_  one... Just get these things off me, girl."

"Can do, Big Boss," she said, placing a hand on the heavy chains. The metal screeched as it warped and twisted, seeming to tear itself apart before coming back together in a neat little pile at Will's feet; the links were as shiny and flawless as the day they had exited the factory.

Will stood up to his full height, stretching his limbs luxuriously. "Will you be going after them?" he grunted.

"Nah. There's no way we're catching up to them in a battleship. It's someone else's problem now."

"Are you sure? We're talking about the fate of the-"

"Is it true that you have a giant statue of Portgas D. Ace on this island?" she asked.

The Vice Admiral blinked in surprise. "Err... It's not really giant, but aye. We have a statue of him."

"Can I see it?" she said.

It wasn't really a question.

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

Tora remained uncharacteristically silent as she looked at the features carved into the stone. The statue had a sense of life to it, the cocky grin and outstretched arms seeming to tell the world to come at it. Whoever had made this statue must have known the subject pretty well.

"He's as gorgeous as I remember," she said. "The messiah pose is a bit much, though..."

Will looked her over inquiringly. "You couldn't have known him. You're not a day over twenty. You'd have still been in diapers when he was executed."

Tora seemed to get a faraway look in her eyes as if she was reminiscing about days gone by. "I didn't know him personally, as much as I'd have wanted to. I guess you could say I was more of a watcher. I saw him grow up and I saw him die. But I was never a part of it."

"I don't think I understand..."

Tora gazed at the statue for a few more moments, before turning to Will and giving him a wide smile. "There are some things that you won't ever understand, Big Boss. That goes for me too."


	16. I Remember When

"Why wouldn't you tell us?" Leon said.

"You never asked. Is it really a big deal?" Ollie said.

Leon gripped his blonde locks between his fingers, fighting off his frustration. "Of course it is. A birthday only comes once a year!"

"Nobody even knows when my birthday is... All I did was synthesize a stupid song for her."

"Would you two keep it down," Viccy said miserably from the couch. He had kept his word to the doctor and had barely moved from it for the past three days, though it hadn't been entirely due to his pledge. Even with the painkillers, he was in a constant state of discomfort due to his broken ribs. Heaven forbid he ever have to cough or sneeze... "Why don't you just make her a cake or something if you're so worried?"

"I barely know how to put together a sandwich," Leon said.

"That's an understatement," Viccy said. "I don't know how you keep managing to fuck up something as simple as a 'meat goes  _between_  bread'all the time, but you always surprise me."

"They've been getting more edible lately," Ollie said, patting a distraught Leon on the back. "I'm sure Adelphie can help with a cake."

"By which you mean she's going to do all the work," Viccy said.

Leon flicked him on the forehead in annoyance. Normally, this would have elicited nothing from Viccy other than an attempt to swat the offending hand, but Leon pulled away in alarm when Viccy  _snarled_  at him. "You feeling alright, Spice?" he said, an eyebrow raised in concern.

Viccy seemed to snap out of some kind of stupor, frowning and sinking himself deeper into the couch. "Yeah. I'm fine."

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

The sound of little feet pattering against the tile was heard around the house as the boy made a mad dash towards the front door. The doorbell rung, the chimes echoed incessantly again and again; the person on the other end clearly impatient to get going. "Coming!" Viccy yelled, his eyes shining with excitement against his face, which was still round with youth.

A door opened in the hall in front of him, and he plowed straight into the massive shadowed figure that came out. He jumped to his feet without a hitch and resumed his sprint towards the front door, yelling over his shoulder as he went. "Watch where you're going, Dad!"

"What in tarnation?" the man said, scratching his head in confusion.

The doorbell rang again just as Viccy reached the living room, and he yanked the door open with much more zeal than was strictly necessary. He locked eyes with the person on the other end - the neighborhood mailman. He looked just about ready to burst; his eyes were jumping all over the place and he kept nervously glancing to the sides. His shoulders sagged with relief as soon as he saw Viccy at the door. "Is there something wrong with your dog?" he asked. "It's just been staring at me through the fence since I got here. Since when did wiener dogs grow that big?"

"Don't worry about him. Just don't make eye contact and you'll be fine," Viccy said, bouncing up and down on the balls of his feet. "Do you have my package? I've been waiting for ages."

The mailman couldn't help but smile at the boy as he pulled the box from his satchel. "Right here, written out to one Vicente Carver from... Vero Acciaio Weapons Company?"

"That'll be it. Thanks," Viccy said, grabbing the package and slamming the door shut.

He couldn't stop grinning as he began tearing at the tape keeping the box sealed. He didn't even notice his mother enter the room until she tapped him on the shoulder. "Who kept abusing the doorbell?"

"That was just the mailman being a pansy," Viccy said, still grinning as he got the last of the tape off.

His father walked into the living room, wondering what could have gotten his normally reserved son so worked up. He stopped as he caught sight of the package. "What's in the box, boy?"

Viccy plunged his hand inside the cardboard, sending packing peanuts dribbling out over the edges. His hand grasped its contents and he held the object up over his head.

His mother narrowed her eyes as she got a look at the object. "Is that?"-she shrieked and stepped back as Viccy grabbed the hilt and pulled. The blade seemed to sing as it exited its scabbard. Viccy held it up to the light, where it gleamed beautifully.

"An accurate, historical replica of a late period imperial Pompeianus Gladius, used by legionaries as late as the 4th century A.D." Viccy recited. "Twenty-five inches long, one and a half pounds, with a scabbard of wood and bronze." He suddenly brought the blade forward and pretended to stab an imaginary foe, making his mother shriek again. "Perfectly balanced," he said without really knowing what it meant.

His mother was beginning to move past her shock and into the cold, simmering anger phase. Viccy was too young to understand the danger, but his father knew all too well. He held his hands up and attempted to placate her. "Hun, calm down. It's just a-"

"Vicente," she said, ignoring his father completely. "Where did you get that."

"I saw the ad in one of Dad's magazines," he chirped. "It only cost 200 bucks. Can you believe it?"

Her eye twitched dangerously as she realized the implications. "Did you spend your entire savings on that... thing," she hissed.

"Uhh... yeah," he said, finally realizing that his mother wasn't as pleased about it as he was. "You said I could spend it on whatever I wanted, right?"

"I did," she said. "But I thought you'd spend it on... I don't know. Toys? Video games? What kind of ten-year-old buys a giant knife!?"

Viccy looked positively scandalized. "It's a short sword..."

" _Me vale!_ " she yelled, causing both males in the room to flinch. She took a deep breath and began massaging her temples, attempting to fight against her rising blood pressure. She seemed calmer as she opened her eyes again and stretched out her hand. "Give it to me."

Viccy's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates, and he looked to his father for help. The man looked back at his pride and joy - his only son. He remembered the day Viccy had been born, when he'd gotten locked down in traffic on the interstate and decided to run the last few miles to the hospital. He remembered holding the infant in his arms, only slightly grossed out by the blood and fluids and God knew what else that he was covered in. He had loved the boy from the moment he'd laid eyes on him and had never had it in his heart to deny him anything. Today was no different. He took pity on his son and turned to his seething wife. He'd have to play this carefully, otherwise, her ire would be drawn towards him. "Hun, the boy worked his tail off to buy that thing," he said. "You saw him out there. 'Sides, I've taught him enough o'er the years for him to know that a weapon ain't no plaything."

Viccy switched his view to his mother, giving her the saddest puppy dog eyes that he could conjure. His mother felt her willpower begin to crumble, until she caught sight of the gladius, still unsheathed in her son's hand and gleaming savagely. "No," she said, shaking her head. "You're still a kid. Too much could go wrong. Just hand it over."

Neither Viccy nor his father tried to argue. Anyone could have seen that the battle was lost. Viccy slid his precious gladius back into its scabbard, refusing to look his mother in the eye as he placed it in her hand. He felt his father place his hand on his shoulder as his mother's footsteps faded into the hallway. "Chin up, boy. It ain't like it's gone for good. You just won't be able to touch it, or look at it, or-"

"Dad. Just stop. You're awful at the whole, 'consolation' thing," he said.

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

It could be said that young Viccy was wise beyond his years. But at the end of the day, he was still a child, and children often make choices that wouldn't make any sense to your average adult. Like when he tried to sneak into the attic to retrieve his gladius replica. He didn't spare a thought as to what he was going to do with it or where he would put it once he had it in hand. His only thought as he crept up towards the attic in the dead of night was that he wanted it back.

Just like he'd seen on a youtube video earlier, he pried open the door stop using a kitchen knife and slid his student ID card into the crack. He grinned impishly when he heard the faint click of the latch sliding over the card, and the door creaked open. The door shut behind him and he tip-toed around in the dark until his hand found the pull chain for the solitary light bulb in the attic.

As the light flooded the room, he found himself staring into a pair of jet-black eyes, mere inches from his face. He made a noise halfway between a gasp and a retch, and stumbled backward, landing squarely in a box of old linens. As his pounding heart finally came under control, he glared at the intruder. "Would you stop doing that," he hissed. "Every fucking time with the jump scares. I don't  _want_  you in my dreams."

"That's no way to greet an old friend," Demonio said, hopping down from the crates he'd been standing on.

"We're friends now? Since when?"

Demonio got close enough for Viccy to pick out his individual eyelashes. The dog cocked his head to the side in amusement. "Since you realized that I'm the only tie you have to the place you once called home. Besides that necklace of yours, of course. But you can't talk to a chunk of gold."

Viccy rolled his eyes. "Yeah. It's perfectly fine to have a conversation with a dog, though..."

"Yes, that is how you see me, isn't it? A simple family pet. Well, that's irrelevant for now," he said, sitting back on his haunches and sticking his tongue out from the side of his mouth. "I'm here to discuss another matter with you. One that's a bit more... immediately concerning."

Viccy raised his eyebrows, not sure what he was going on about at first.

"That little voice in your head that keeps telling you to rip your friends' throats out. It's been getting louder, hasn't it..."

Viccy's eyes widened. "You mean the dragon? Man, that thing is annoying as all hell. Couldn't have the Doc check out my knee or Ollie pass me the salt without it trying to get me to bite their hand off. Are you saying there's a way to shut it up?"

"Well... No," Demonio said. "You seem to be confused on the issue, Pup. The dragon isn't some separate being that entered your head when you ate the fruit. The dragon  _is_  you."

"What do you mean?"

Demonio moved towards some blankets lying on the ground, curling up in them and yawning luxuriously. "As a principle, Zoan users and their beasts are united as one entity. Upon eating the fruit, a change takes place in the user themselves."

Viccy shuddered at the implications of what had just been said. "So I was right. A zoan fruit affects the user's personality."

"It's not quite that simple," Demonio said. "The Zoan beast doesn't affect the user so much as it becomes them, and vice versa. This is all well and good with something like an eagle or a buffalo. The user often won't even notice a difference."

"But when you bring something like a dragon into the mix..."

"Precisely. You are no longer the same person that you were before you ate the fruit. As it stands right now, your mind is rejecting the dragon, which is why you're able to separate your own thoughts and motives from its own. But eventually, you won't be able to resist it anymore."

A sense of dread began to rise in Viccy. "We'll become one..." he whispered. He remained silent for some time before he stood up and glared accusingly at Demonio. "Why would you do this to me?"

Demonio didn't respond as Viccy began to vent anything and everything he could think of. "I never asked for this. Any of it. I could have graduated school by now, been off to college, getting ready to start a life of my own if it wasn't for you," he said, his voice beginning to rise uncontrollably. "Instead I'm here, fighting lunatics and getting shot at every few days! And now you're telling me I'll begin losing my damned mind soon? What the hell do you want from me?!"

The dog stood up from its makeshift nest and got uncomfortably close to him. Viccy's eyes widened as the dog began to grow right before his eyes. As he became big enough that Viccy could look him directly in his eyes, he realized that they weren't as empty as he had originally thought. There was something cold and ancient about them, as if any expression they made was beyond any kind of human understanding. When he opened his mouth and spoke to Viccy, his tone much lower than it had been before. "Do you think me cruel, Pup?"

Much to his own surprise, Viccy actually had to think about his answer. Had Demonio ever actually done anything to earn his distrust? "I definitely don't think you're kind..."

"Kindness and cruelty are human inventions. You will find neither in my heart. Your lives are so fleeting that you'll cling to anything you believe will give it meaning. My kind doesn't have to worry about that..."

"Your kind?"

"Yes, Pup. I am not alone, and something far greater than you will ever understand is happening in places you would never dream of. But that isn't for you to worry abo-"

"Hold on now. You can't just say shit like that and expect me to go with it. What are you? What's going on?"

Demonio actually seemed peeved for a second before letting out a sigh. "I often forget about you humans' annoying sense of curiosity. The fact of the matter is, I cannot answer you simply because you wouldn't even be able to imagine it, much less understand. I can only explain your own role when you're ready, and that time has yet to come. What I will tell you is this. You are not the only piece on the board."

"You mean-"

"Enough," he barked. "I've told you what I can. Do with it what you will. You still have some business with your scaly friend that you must resolve."

Viccy seemed on the verge of arguing for a moment, before sighing and collapsing back into his box of linens. "What am I supposed to do about that?"

"I'm rather disappointed with you on that front, Pup. I'd hoped that you'd have thought to ask the Alard girl for help by now."

"Adelphie? What can she do about it?"

"She will aid you in entering your own mindscape, where you will confront the beast. She'll probably be hesitant to try, but she should be easy to convince. What happens once you're in front of the Dragon, is up to you."

"You want me to fight the damn thing?" Viccy asked incredulously.

"As I said, that's up to you. It defeats the whole purpose if I make your decisions for you. I'll simply nudge you in the desirable direction from time to time."

"And who decides what's desirable?"

Demonio actually smiled. It was a terrifying thing, revealing his massive fangs in all their glory, but the fact that he could actually display an emotion that wasn't mocking gave Viccy a sense of comfort.

Viccy stiffened as he heard the sound of a door banging open on the floor below. "It better be a damned raccoon shuffling around in that attic!" his mother yelled.

He knew full well that she knew he was up here. He turned back to Demonio, or at least where he had been. The dog was nowhere to be seen.

"Son of a bitch."

Even knowing that it was just a dream, the sound of his mother stomping up the steps still managed to put him on edge. He already had an excuse on his lips when the door was pushed open.

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

Viccy woke up in a cold sweat, his mother's furious expression rebranded into his memory. He remembered what had happened next. There had been a lot of yelling and more than a few tears and at the end of it all, he still hadn't gotten his sword back. He didn't speak to his mother for a week after that. He chuckled at the memory, and how his resentment had actually simmered down by the morning after and he had simply been too ashamed to look her in the eye.

His heart ached as he thought of her and what she could be doing right now. He had never exactly been stingy when showing his affection. She knew that he loved her, but in hindsight, he probably could have said it out loud more often.

He began to look around the rec room from his position on the couch. There was a bit of moonlight bleeding through the portholes, and it cast a cheery glow upon the scene. It was an absolute mess, and Maddy wouldn't be very happy with them come morning. For now, she was letting them sleep off the effects of their rowdy night.

Bottles of cola and the occasional can of alcohol littered the room. The walls had a few new dents in them, and Viccy could still see a controller snail sleeping peacefully on the ceiling, its shell embedded deep into the wood. On the table in the middle of the room sat a cake. Adelphie had really outdone herself in making it. It had been a beautiful thing, and it was almost a shame that they had to eat it. The original lettering that had been written on it - Happy Birthday Spitfire - had been half eaten, and now simply read 'Happy Spit'.

The rest of the crew lay scattered haphazardly around the place, all of them deep in sleep. Viccy began to wonder if it had even been worth building bunks. The number of times any of them had actually slept in them could be counted on both hands. Then again, that may just have been because sleeping on the lumpy bunks was barely any better than sleeping on the floor.

He saw all of them in their little moments of vulnerability. How Priscilla and Ollie snuggled up to each other at the foot of the couch, as if they were afraid the other would disappear. The little trail of drool that was coming out of Adelphie's mouth as she lay snoring on the armchair nearby, in stark contrast to her waking personality. Leon mumbling to himself as he lay draped over the back of the couch, his hand dangling directly in Viccy's face. He couldn't make out much of what he said, but he heard the name Leopardo come up a few times. He wondered if that had been his brother's name...

He didn't even register when he began to drift back to sleep, but eventually, the warm weight of his necklace, the gentle rocking of the ship and Adelphie's oddly soothing snores faded into the void.

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

Viccy decided to take some time to recover fully before he faced the Dragon. He didn't know what he would do when he was in front of it, but it never hurt to be prepared. Two weeks passed before the aches in his chest finally subsided enough to get off the painkillers, and he set about his task.

He found Adelphie at her usual evening haunt. Leaning against the prow of the ship, staring out over the water. She had the same content expression that she always wore. Viccy often wondered what it was that she was looking at. It wasn't as if the sun setting over the water looked any different from one day to the other. He'd have to ask her about it some other time.

"Adelphie," he said. "I need your help with something."

She smiled and turned to him, her eyes crinkling at the corners. "Clearly. You wouldn't speak to me otherwise."

Viccy frowned. He couldn't really deny it. It wasn't as if he tried to avoid her. They simply never had anything to talk about. He couldn't have any verbal bouts with her like he did with the doctor or any physical bouts like he did with Leon. It was as if he was below her, or more specifically as if s _he_  was above him. No matter how kindly she looked at them, or how content she genuinely seemed, a part of her heart was kept locked away out of his or anyone else's reach.

"I wasn't trying to make you uncomfortable. I owe you bunch a lot more than I could ever repay," she said, reaching over and tussling his hair. "What do you need, little captain?"

Viccy cleared his throat, unsure of how to phrase his request. "Uh... Can you help me go into my own head?"

Adelphie raised an eyebrow. "You want to enter your mindscape?"

"I guess..."

"I see. Am I going to find out what's been wrong with you lately?"

"What do you know?" he said, his eyes wide in surprise.

Adelphie chuckled with genuine amusement. "Cilla and I have been discussing it. Leon and Little Ollie may not have noticed yet, but you've been a lot more aggressive lately. Also, you've been... growling at people..."

Viccy hung his head in embarrassment. "I don't usually do that."

"Of course you don't. What exactly would you plan on doing once you're in there?"

"I'd have to go in there to find out," he said, shrugging his shoulders.

Adelphie frowned and shook her head. "I can't do that. A person's mindscape is more dangerous than you could ever imagine. There's no telling what you'll find in there, and there's no guarantee you'll come out the same person. Or that you'll come out at all. I'm not going to send you in there when you don't even know what you're looking for."

"It can't be that bad."

Adelphie looked at him sternly, her normally kind silver eyes hardening to steel. "I don't expect you to know how stupid that comment was. Your mindscape is everything that you are, everything that you've done, every minor thought you've ever had laid before you in a way that you could never understand. I'm not sending you in there."

She turned away as if it were the end of the discussion, and on another day, it might have been. Viccy cursed his luck. He hadn't been planning on telling anybody his true objective to avoid any unnecessary worrying. "It's the Dragon."

"The Dragon?" Adelphie said, her interest piqued.

"I don't really get how it works, but apparently we're becoming a single entity. I have to face it before that happens, and I can only do it if you help me."

She looked at him in concern. "I still can't."

"Why?" he said, more than a little taken aback. Hadn't Demonio said she would be relatively easy to convince?

Adelphie's cheeks became dusted red and she looked away from him. Viccy had never actually seen her get embarrassed before. "Bottom line is, my gift doesn't work on you properly. It's like your mind is completely empty to me. I couldn't help you even if I wanted to."

Viccy narrowed his eyes. He knew exactly what was blocking him off. "Just try it, please."

"I just said it wouldn't work."

Viccy caught her by surprise when he grinned. "You can't say that until you try."

She seemed to wrestle with the idea for some time, before nodding slowly. "Fine then. Sit down."

Viccy obliged, turning around and sitting against the railing. "How exactly does this work?" Adelphie didn't say anything as she placed her hand on his forehead. "Uhh... Adelphie?"

The world disappeared. One moment, he was staring at Adelphie leaning over him on the deck of the Maiden. The next moment, there was nothing. The sensation of the ship rocking through the waves, the sound of the wind billowing the sails, the feeling of the wooden planks at his fingertips. It was all gone. It was as if he was an empty speck floating in a void. Panic began to rise in him.

" _Viccy_?"

He would have sighed in relief if he'd had a mouth. Adelphie's voice was like music to him. He didn't know where it was coming from, but he heard it loud and clear.

" _It worked. I cut off all of your senses. You're probably seeing a whole lot of nothing. I'll just tell you right now, this is your last chance to turn back. In a few seconds, your brain will try to start making sense of the emptiness and you'll enter your mindscape._ "

Viccy didn't answer. It wasn't as if he didn't want to. He just didn't know how.

" _Well, good luck then. I'll be here wai-_ "

And then, he fell. He had no sense of distance or direction, but he knew that he was falling towards  _something._ As he fell, his senses began to return one by one. He became aware of the suffocating void, of his own flailing limbs, the sensation of hurtling through the air. His eyes snapped open of their own accord, just in time to see the concrete roof blistering towards him. The shock rang throughout his body as he crashed through. There was another shock as he crashed through the floor below, and another as he came to a halt on the ground floor.

He waited for the pain, but it never came. He slowly stood up from the Viccy shaped crater on the ground and looked around. He recognized the hallways painting in disgusting colors and the cheesy wall decorations. It appeared that his mindscape was an exact copy of his High School. But that wasn't the strangest thing about the place. All around him were familiar faces. People crowded the corridors, and they were all staring at him. Some looked worried, others curious, some even disgusted, but they all shared one thing. Every single one had his face...


	17. The Dragon

"What the fuck _?_ " Viccy said. He had never been more disoriented in his life. It was like he was stuck in some sort of messed up house of mirrors. They weren't exact clones, as their body types and ages seemed to vary from one to the next, but they all stared at him with the same dull brown eyes he had inherited from his father.

"This one's rather vulgar, eh?" one of them said.

"One's manner of speaking says a lot about them," another said.

"Ya think we're scaring 'em?"

"How long is he gonna lay there?"

Viccy scrambled to his feet and looked around. He remembered the place as if it were yesterday. He had crashed through the ceiling of the vocational building near the outskirts of the school, which had often flooded with students during the lunch hours.

Several nerve-wracking seconds passed as Viccy and the crowd stared at each other, both waiting for something to happen. One of the clones grew impatient and marched right up to Viccy, crossing his arms over his chest and narrowing his eyes. Viccy noticed that this clone was a lot slimmer than him, yet there was something about him that still set him on edge, as if he was about to be scolded by his Physics teacher.

"Out with it then," they said.

"Out with  _what_  exactly?" Viccy said.

The clone huffed and rolled his eyes. "Come now. You must be here for a reason. Out with it."

"Er... well..."

"Speak up, Foo'," Another clone said as they walked up and stopped in front of Viccy. If the first one reminded him of a stern instructor, this one reminded him of the one kid that was always getting into trouble for one thing or another, yet still managed to be well-liked.

The original clone clearly didn't like being interrupted. He glared at the newcomer from the corner of his eye. "I didn't ask for your help."

"Ya didn't ask for a lotta things, Thorry. Doesn't mean I ain't gonna give 'em to ya. You're my foil after all."

The original clone's eyes twitched ever so slightly before he arranged his face back into the mask of impassivity. "I've told you time and again not to call me that."

"And I've told ya time and again that I don't gotta listen. Your name may be Authority, but you have no power here my friend."

They began to bicker back and forth for several minutes. By then the crowd had already dispersed as if this was a common occurrence. They probably would have continued for who knew how long, if Viccy hadn't cleared his throat. Their attention snapped back to him in an instant, both clearly having forgotten that he was there. "Ah... You... What was it you wanted again?" Authority said.

It was Viccy's turn to roll his eyes this time. "Take me to your leader..."

* * *

Despite his trepidation, Viccy was flooded with nostalgia as they walked quickly through the building. The hallways seemed even more massive than he remembered. The grounds had covered nearly a hundred acres and had housed almost four thousand students back home. He had never been particularly fond of the school, but it was a piece of home that he hadn't seen in well over a year. Still, he tried to avoid looking inside of the room's themselves after catching sight of what appeared to be some kind of jousting tournament going on inside one of them, with clones using other clones as mounts. The sight of himself charging at himself while riding himself was a bit more than he could stomach.

As they reached their destination, which he recognized as the front office, Viccy couldn't help but smirk. The door to the Principle's office had big letters written on it with permanent marker, reading "The Voice of Reason."

"This dude's 'bout as close to a leader as we got here," said one of the clones that had led him here. Viccy had discovered that his name was Audacity. "He don't really do much 'sides sit in that office and play around with the little brat though."

"Watch your tongue," Authority said. "Reason's the only reason any of us are standing here."

Audacity began to chuckle wholeheartedly as he and Authority began walking away. "Ha. Reason's the only reason. I give that one an 8 on the shittypun-o-meter."

Viccy only hesitated momentarily before opening the door. Every instinct that had been drilled into him by his mother screamed at him for not knocking, but it was  _his_  mind after all. The inside of the room was almost completely empty except for a desk and a TV stand. The room's only two occupants were another clone of himself - this one almost exact to a tee - sitting behind the desk pretending to do paperwork, and a young child no older than three, sitting in front of the television playing video games. It took a moment for Viccy to recognize the boy as a toddler version of himself. He didn't remember having been so disgustingly adorable.

The toddler was the only one to look at him as he entered. The boy's eyes were big and wide and studied him with an innocent curiosity, though there was no trace of naivete. Viccy was a bit uncomfortable under his gaze. It was as if the child was picking apart his very soul. Apparently, they couldn't find anything particularly wrong with it, for they eased up on their survey and gave him a heart-melting smile.

"Um... Hi..." Viccy said.

The boy's smile widened, and he began to speak. He had a wonderful melodic voice and was oddly well spoken for such a young child. "You're pretty easy to read, you know. But I guess that's one of your strong points. I'd still be careful if I were you. Wounds to the heart take the longest to heal and leave the biggest scars."

It took a moment for Viccy to process what he had heard. After several seconds of deliberation, the only response he could come up with was, " _What_?"

The clone behind the desk pretended to shuffle one last stack of papers before finally looking up at him, his face a mask of complete impassivity. "Don't mind him. The squirt likes to wax poetic, but he has no real experience with anything he says."

"I won't stay like this forever. Viccy'll get there someday," the boy said. "Besides, I've gotten a  _bit_  taller recently..."

"Viccy'll get  _where_  exactly?" Viccy said.

The boy's mischievous grin made the hairs on the back of Viccy's neck stand on end. "Don't worry about it. You'll know when you're there."

Viccy decided not to press the issue. The thought of arguing with himself was enough to make his head twinge. Instead, he turned to the clone behind the desk. "You're Reason, right?"

"Indeed I am," Reason said. "You're here about our scaly friend I'm guessing."

"Bingo. I need to know what happened here exactly. I'd rather not turn into a mindless raging beast, you know what I mean?"

Reason's face twisted into an ugly grimace, "I'd have to show you for you to get the whole picture, but..."

The little boy began to chuckle. "Ha. Look's like you're gonna have to  _leave the office._ "

"Quiet, you," Reason said. "And you..." - he glared at Viccy as he stood up - "I'm about to do as much walking in 20 minutes as I normally do in a month. You'd better be grateful."

The sound of the boy singing " _They're going on a big adventure and they don't know what's in store._ " followed them as they headed out the door.

* * *

Viccy couldn't believe the destruction. The earth lay scorched and deformed, pockmarked with the clear evidence of battle. Any trees that remained were nothing more than blackened husks, and half of the nearby gymnasium lay in ruin. The fight itself was clearly long past, yet not even the weeds had managed to poke through the black earth. It was as if the whole area was corrupted.

"What the hell happened here?" Viccy whispered.

"A few months ago, we all lived together in harmony. But everything changed when the Dragon attacked," Reason said. "It came down in a tempest of fire and ice and it took the efforts of every single aspect of you in this place to put it down. But even then, we couldn't destroy it. So we did the next best thing. We locked it in a broom closet."

"How is that the next best thing!?" Viccy yelled.

Reason ignored him and carried on. "For a while, it looked like the incident could be swept under the rug. But a couple of weeks ago many of the more... undesirable elements of your personality began to act up. Jealousy, Rancor, and Hostility are already under guard, and many of the others are beginning to get unruly as well. It's only a matter of time before war breaks out, and I don't think I need to tell you that us fighting it out in your head would be a bad thing..."

"So what should I do about it?" Viccy asked.

"You have two options," Reason said. "Wait it out until the battle ends and one side wins. If this happens you will never be the same person regardless. Vicente Carver as you know him will die."

"I don't like that one..." Viccy said. "What's the other option?"

"We shove you in that broom closet with the Dragon and hope for the best."

Viccy blinked twice. "Is there a third curtain?"

* * *

Viccy wasn't entirely sure what he had been expecting when he saw the door behind which one of the most powerful creatures to ever roam the skies was locked. Some heavy chains bolting it shut, black smoke leaking out from the cracks, or some kind of warning sign at the very least. Instead, he was greeted by an inconspicuous wooden door at the end of a short hallway. The only thing that looked even remotely out of place was the two big clones flanking it, eyeing him apprehensively as he approached.

"Huh. It really  _is_  just a broom closet..." Viccy said. "Why here of all places?"

Reason shrugged. "Not everything has a reason. It was nearby and it locked from the outside." He stopped in front of the two clones at the door. "Courage. Mettle. How goes it?"

Viccy tried to suppress a giggle. Courage rolled his eyes and held up his hand. "I've heard it all before, hotshot. Just get it out of your system."

"Did you finally get bored of being in the middle of Nowhere?" Viccy said.

Courage sighed and turned towards Reason. "It's been the same as always. Not a peep, just like it's been for months."

"Good. Now unlock it and let Viccy in."

The silence was deafening. The four Viccys stared at each other, each one with their own thoughts on the matter going through their head. "Are you sure that's a good idea?" Mettle said. "What if it attacks him?"

Reason shrugged and patted Viccy on the back. "If push comes to shove, shove  _really_  hard. It's  _your_  mind, and you'd do well to remember it. Besides, I doubt that it would do something that stupid. If Viccy dies here, we all die. Including the Dragon."

"Wait a minute. So the Dragon isn't just a dumb animal?" Viccy said.

"If only," Reason snorted as he unlocked the door and pulled it open.

Viccy knew for a fact that broom closets weren't supposed to be so dark and menacing, and he was already having second thoughts about stepping inside. Fortunately, Reason had no such reservations for his safety and gave him a shove. Viccy turned as he stumbled across the threshold, just in time to see the door begin to swing shut.

"We're counting on you," Reason said. "Remember, it's _your_ mind."

The door clicked, and the sound of the bolt being put back in place echoed across the darkness.

At this point, Viccy was really beginning to regret his decision. He couldn't see anything in the pitch black and the strange peppery scent that permeated the room set his hairs on end. It wasn't a particularly bad smell. There was simply something undeniably  _wrong_  with it. He attempted to spit a wad of fire into his palm to use as a makeshift torch. Only instead of the gentle warmth of flames licking his skin and the welcome light he was expecting, he felt the slimy sensation of spit sliding down his forearm.

"Fucking incredible..." he snarled as he wiped it off on his pants.

" _It's no use_ _, Runt. That power doesn't belong to you._ "

Viccy froze in place as his mind began to race. The voice was loud; powerful, but it didn't seem to be coming from any particular direction. It was as if the room itself were speaking to him. Being as blind as he was, he knew that he was completely helpless. The fact that his dragon powers didn't seem to work inside his mindscape didn't help matters either.

" _How long do you plan on standing there?"_

Viccy swallowed his fear, deciding that at the very least, the Dragon was talking to him instead of any number of horrendous things he was sure it could do. "I'm blind and it sounds like the walls are talking. There's not much else I  _can_  do."

" _Such a pathetic creature. You don't even have control in your own mind..._ "

Viccy jumped back as light popped into existence not three feet in front of him. His mouth became dry and he heart began pounding in his ears.

It was a massive eye. He had often heard that eyes were windows into the soul. If that was the case, then this creature was the very definition of malignancy. An unquenchable fire burned beneath the surface, casting an eerie glow that penetrated a few feet into the darkness. A nictating membrane flicked across the slit pupil as it focused on Viccy, who stood speechless at the thought of the rest of the behemoth being hidden in the shadows.

The eye kept itself trained on Viccy, who instinctively backed away. A steady rumble reverberated around the room, causing his teeth to chatter and shaking his very bones. It took a moment for him to realize that the Dragon was  _chuckling_.

" _You fear me._ "

Viccy once again fought off his natural instincts, which were screaming at him to run as far and as fast as he possibly could. "Well... You're kind of the size of a small castle, so... How did they get you in here, to begin with?"

" _I believe this is what you would call, Irony? How can one justify being afraid of themselves? Even something as tiny and frail as you..._ "

Viccy cocked his head to the side, his interest piqued. He hadn't known what to expect when he encountered the Dragon, but having a philosophical conversation hadn't really been at the top of the list. "Demonio said something about that. You're just another aspect of me, aren't you? Like those clones running around outside."

The Dragon's eye narrowed dangerously, and it rose a few meters off the ground. The room began to rumble again, but the beast wasn't chuckling this time. The smell of burning peppers grew almost unbearable as the dragon bared its fangs, allowing flames to flicker from its jaws. Viccy was once again shaken by just how massive the Dragon was; each one of its fangs was as big as he was. Still, he hadn't been eaten yet, and that thought emboldened him.

" _Don't compare me to those worms."_

"Those worms threw you in here, didn't they?"

The Dragon's slit pupil constricted dangerously, and Viccy wondered if he'd made a mistake. The tension flew out of him as the Dragon began to chuckle again. " _That they did,_ " it rumbled. The floor began to still as the chuckles faded. Several awkward moments passed as Viccy just stared into the Dragon's eye, which stared silently back.

It took so long for the staring contest to end that Viccy was actually startled when the Dragon spoke again. " _I know why you're here._ "

"Ah. Sweet. Well, It was nice chatting with you. I'll be on my way then." Viccy turned on his heel and attempted to blindly find his way to the exit, with little success. The Dragon watched him stumble around in the darkness with his arms stretched forward for some time, its pupil dilated in amusement.

" _I won't do as you ask. Or rather, I simply can't._ "

Viccy turned around with a heavy sigh. "And why not..." he whined.

" _To put it simply, I have no control over what is happening to us._ "

"Us?"

" _Yes, runt._ Us. _While you're becoming less of a whiny insect, I'm becoming_ more _of a whiny insect. Soon I will be no different than those blasted cretins that threw me in here. It's infuriating!_ "

It was almost as if a light bulb went off over Viccy's head. "I think I get it. While I'm becoming more... Dragonish?"

" _I believe the word is_ draconic _._ "

"Whatever. You're becoming more like me is what I'm getting at."

The Dragon's bared its fangs again. " _I'll put it simply for you. If you had come in here a few months ago, you wouldn't be alive right now. My very bones are aching to bite your head off and rid myself of you, but this blasted sense of_ reason  _you've infected me with makes it impossible._ "

"Right," Viccy said, taking several steps backward just in case. "So what are our options?"

" _We don't have many, and only one of them would keep us from fusing. I must leave your subconscious mindscape entirely._ "

"How would that work?"

" _How should I know? It's your mind. Figure it out._ "

Viccy narrowed his eyes, staring at the Dragon. "How do I know that you're not just trying to trick me into getting you out of here..."

" _I_ am _trying to get you to get me out of here. This place is terrible. It's dark and dingy and I keep picking up on your state of mind with no context whatsoever. Imagine that it sounds like a riot's happening outside your window and you can't even peek out and check what's happening._ "

"That does sound pretty awful..." Viccy said, scratching his nose. While he wasn't particularly averse to having the Dragon leave its prison now that he knew it wasn't the mindless monster that he had expected, he wasn't entirely sure of what the consequences would be. Still, it wasn't as if he could leave things as they were. Something had to change. The problem lay in that Viccy didn't even know how to get out of his mindscape himself, much less drag a battleship-sized lizard with him.

" _Anytime now..._ "

"Quiet. You've been in here for months. A bit longer won't hurt you," Viccy said as he sat down Indian style and crossed his arms. He had no way to tell the passage of time in the lightless room, but he felt like it had to have been at least a few hours. After much pondering, with only the Dragon's silent stare as company, the words that had been repeated to him several times since he got here were at the forefront of his thoughts.

"It's my mind..." he said. His eyes lit up, and a grin appeared on his lips that made the Dragon's pupil constrict in suspicion. "You can fly, right?"

" _What kind of question is that? Of course I can_ -"

The ground disappeared from under them, and they fell. The darkness began to recede, and there was a flash of red and a massive gust of wind that could only be the Dragon extending its wings. As the light of an artificial sun hit them, feeling for all the world as warm and welcoming as the real thing, the Dragon roared in glee as the membranes between its wings caught the air and stretched.

Viccy was dumbstruck at the sight. The Dragon was every bit as gargantuan as he had imagined, but in the sky, it was as nimble and lithe as a sparrow. Its formerly ruby red scales began to change color before his very eyes, becoming a bright gold that was no less dazzling. It was beautiful enough to almost make him forget that he was falling.

He flailed his arms around before snapping them close to his torso and pointing his head towards the Dragon. His body tensed as he closed the distance, before slamming directly into the Dragon's head. He clung to the chinks in its scales as it began to do all sorts of aerial acrobatics. As the world tumbled and flipped, Viccy became aware that there was no ground. Just an endless sky with no sense of up, down, left or right.

"It worked!" he yelled, even as his stomach churned violently.

The Dragon calmed itself, slowing to a lazy glide. " _You changed the nature of the prison, but it's still a prison._ "

"Hold your horses. This was just a test," he said. The wind began to whip around more violently and the clouds closed in on them, dampening Viccy's clothes and covering the Dragon with glistening dew.

" _What are you doing?_ "

Viccy grinned. "Waking us up."

* * *

Viccy's eyes snapped open on the deck of the Maiden. He flicked them around to make sure that everything was as it should be. The moonlight shone through the sails, which were billowing happily. The waves lapping against the hull and creaking wood were the only sounds to be heard. Viccy let out a sigh of relief. It was only then that he realized his head was resting on someone's shoulder.

"There you are. I was beginning to worry that I'd have to go in after you..." Adelphie said.

Under normal circumstances, Viccy would have been mortified. He had never really been one for physical contact in general, even with his own parents. But something about this just felt different. He made no move to change his position, and Adelphie made no move to shift him off. They sat there until they could feel their eyes becoming heavier.

"Did you find what you were looking for?" Adelphie asked as she dozed off, letting her cheek fall against his hair.

"Yeah," Viccy said, closing his eyes. "I found it."

" _I don't appreciate being called_  it."

Viccy's eyes snapped open.

" _Oh, don't act so surprised. What did you think would happen when you let me enter your conscious mind._ "

" _You're kidding me..._ " Viccy thought.

" _Now I can talk to you whenever I feel the need. The world looks a lot different so low to the ground..._ "

" _Son of a bitch..._ "


End file.
